Billy Strings‘ fans finally delivered the circle pit he’s been asking for on Friday night at Prudential Center in Newark—the first of two sold-out shows at the home of the New Jersey Devils.
It was a redemptive moment after Strings’ failed attempt to spark a pit at Albany’s MVP Arena two days prior, where he jumped into the crowd himself only to be met with raised cell phones instead of moshing fans. Newark understood the assignment—or at least they tried.
NJ Brings the Circle Pit!
byu/CramboneGonzales inBillyStrings
The 26-song setlist spanned nearly three hours across two sets and a two-song encore. Strings and his band—Billy Failing on banjo, Jarrod Walker on mandolin, Alex Hargreaves on fiddle, and Royal Masat on bass—stretched out on extended jams, including a nearly 11-minute “End Of The Rainbow” closing the first set and a 13-minute “So Many Miles” late in set two.
The second set’s final run proved particularly potent. “Leaders” opened into Black Sabbath‘s “Planet Caravan”—a nod to Strings’ metal roots with Michigan bands Groove Tongue and To Once Darkened Skies—before launching into “Spinning”. From there, the band rode through “So Many Miles” (a Billy Failing original) and “Everything’s the Same” before closing with John Hartford‘s “With a Vamp in the Middle” and New Grass Revival‘s “This Heart of Mine”.
Billy Strings returns to Prudential Center tonight for round two before taking a couple weeks off [get tickets]. Every show from the tour is available to stream live and on demand via nugs. [Editor’s Note: Live For Live Music is a nugs affiliate. Ordering your nugs subscription or purchasing a download via the links on this page helps support our coverage of the world of live music. Thank you for reading!]
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Billy Strings – “I’m One Of Those”, “Age” (Jim Croce), “St. Louis Blues” (W.C. Handy), “It Ain’t Before”, Hellbender” – 11/14/25
Setlist [via BillyBase]: Billy Strings | Prudential Center | Newark, NJ | 11/14/25
Set One: I’m One Of Those, Age (Jim Croce), St. Louis Blues (W.C. Handy), It Ain’t Before, Hellbender, Escanaba, Highway Hypnosis, Show Me The Door, Little Maggie (traditional), Harbor Of Love (The Stanley Brothers), Red Daisy > Libby Phillips Rag, End Of The Rainbow (Frank Wakefield)
Set Two: Leadfoot [1], Don’t Be Calling Me (at 4AM), Seney Stretch, Sally Johnson (traditional), Love And Regret, Dust In A Baggie (Billy Strings & Don Julin), Leaders > Planet Caravan (Black Sabbath) > Spinning > So Many Miles (Billy Failing) > Everything’s The Same
Encore: With a Vamp in the Middle (John Hartford), This Heart of Mine (New Grass Revival)
[1] Billy Strings on his Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo & Billy Failing on Guitar