Billy Strings returned to action at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY on Sunday for the fourth performance of his six-night Deja Vu Experiment virtual residency from inside the empty theater. Following nights one, two, and three over the weekend, Strings and his band delivered with an impressive fourth night comprised of Widespread Panic and Jeff Austin covers, some mandatory Grateful Dead music, and more.
Following a brief virtual introduction by Shakedown Stream co-host Gary Lambert, the band opened the show with “On The Line”, the opening track from Strings’ 2017 Turmoil & Tinfoil album, followed by a take on Jerry Reed‘s “The Likes of Me” and a cover of Widespread Panic’s “All Time Low”. The first set continued with a plethora of additional covers including the traditional “John Hardy”, Jimmy Cliff‘s “Sitting In Limbo”, New Grass Revival‘s “Whisper My Name”, and Merle Haggard‘s “Mama Tried”–a high-energy country tune played by the Grateful Dead many times over the years. The first set came to a close with a pair of Strings originals in “Doin’ Things Right” and “This Old World”.
Watch the opening performances from Sunday’s opening set via the video below.
Billy Strings – “On The Line”, “The Likes of Me” – 2/21/21
[Video: Billy Strings]
The band returned to open the second half of Sunday’s show with “Bronzeback”, and continued with a cover of Charlie Monroe‘s “Rosa Lee McFall” followed by the band’s take on “15 Steps” by the late Jeff Austin. The music continued to echo throughout the empty theater with performances of The Stanley Brothers‘ “Nobody’s Love Is Like Mine” and The Tony Rice Unit‘s “Manzanita”, followed by the first and only Grateful Dead original of the night in the fan-favorite ballad, “He’s Gone”.
The second set came to a fitting close with Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s “Proud Mary” before Strings circled back around to the Turmoil & Tinfoil tracklist with a performance of the album’s title track to end the show.
The band has a night off on Monday but will return to action for the fifth night of the Deja Vu Experiment run on Tuesday. Click here for webcast order info.
Setlist: Billy Strings | The Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY | 1/21/21
Set One: On The Line, The Likes of Me (Jerry Reed), All Time Low (Widespread Panic), Enough to Leave, John Hardy (traditional), Sitting in Limbo (Jimmy Cliff), Whisper My Name (New Grass Revival), Mama Tried (Merle Haggard), Doin’ Things Right, This Old World
Set Two: Bronzeback, Rosa Lee McFall (Charlie Monroe), 15 Steps (Jeff Austin), Nobody’s Love Is Like Mine (The Stanley Brothers), Manzanita (The Tony Rice Unit), He’s Gone (Grateful Dead), Proud Mary (Creedence Clearwater Revival), Turmoil & Tinfoil