After making his Canada debut this week at the 990-capacity Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, BC, Billy Strings returned stateside to finish off his 2025 summer tour with shows in Washington and Oregon. Last night, the bluegrass star brought down the house at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, WA, leaving fans abuzz with the first-ever “Highway Hypnosis” encore.
Illuminated by new lighting designer Saxton Waller, Strings and his band dug their spurs in early with a first set highlighted by a winding “Hide and Seek” jam. After once again strayed away from its orthodox string band instrumentation for “Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You”, with bassist Royal Masat shifting to an electric keyboard as Strings wielded his double-neck Martin Grand J-28E and Billy Failing played his beefy Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo, the band dusted off the traditional “Paddy On The Turnpike” for the first time since April 15th, 2023.
The second set was likewise packed with adventurous improvisation, down-home pickin’, and playful teases, including an allusion to Bill Wither’s sR&B soul classic “Use Me” during “Doin’ Things Right”, but it was the surprise encore that got fans talking.
Typically used as a second-set jam vehicle, “Highway Hypnosis” proved itself as a standalone encore, ending the night on high note with a brief but powerful psychedelic journey. The twangy traveler’s tune melted into a trippy, cinematic soundscape, complemented by Waller’s twinkling lights, before smoothly ramping back up to a climactic finale that had the crowd in a full roar as the the band departed.
Check out fan-shot video of the “Highway Hypnosis” encore along with other highlights below. The entire show and the rest of the tour, including tonight’s grand finale in Eugene, OR, are available to stream live and on demand via nugs. [Editor’s note: Live For Live Music is a nugs affiliate. Ordering your subscription via the links on this page helps to support our work covering the world of live music. Thank you for reading!]
After closing out the tour in Eugene, Billy will hit the road with Masat and Bryan Sutton for a run of sold-out trio shows. Find a full list of upcoming shows and ticketing details here or on his website.
Billy Strings – “Takin’ a Slow Train” (Larry Sparks), “Psycho” (Eddie Noack), “Hide And Seek” – 8/22/25
Billy Strings – “Highway Hypnosis” – 8/22/25
[Video: Max Berde]
Billy Strings – “Stratosphere Blue / I Believe In You” – 8/22/25
[Video: Max Berde]
Billy Strings – “Seven Weeks In County” – 8/22/25
[Video: Max Berde]
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Setlist [via BillyBase]: Billy Strings | Angel Of The Winds Arena | Everett, WA | 8/22/25
Set 1: Takin’ a Slow Train (Larry Sparks), Psycho (Eddie Noack) > Hide and Seek, St. James Hospital (Traditional), California Sober, 10,000 Miles From A Friend, Stone Walls and Steel Bars (The Stanley Brothers), Hello City Limits (Harley “Red” Allen), Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You [1], Hollow Heart > Paddy on the Turnpike (Traditional) [2], Heartbeat of America
Set 2: Home of the Red Fox (Bill Emerson) > Secrets, A Good Woman’s Love (Hank Locklin) [3], Beaumont Rag (Traditional) [4], Wargasm, Doin’ Things Right [5], Southern Flavor (Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys) > Cabin Song, Seven Weeks in County, Nothing’s Working, In Case You Ever Change Your Mind (Bill Anderson) [6], The Beginning of the End
Encore: Highway Hypnosis
Notes:
[1] Billy Strings on a Martin Grand J-28E, Royal Masat on a Nord Stage 3 88-Key Keyboard & Billy Failing on Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo
[2] Last Time Played 2023-04-15 | 192 show gap
[3] Last Time Played 2024-02-18 | 109 show gap
[4] Last Time Played 2024-05-11 | 95 show gap
[5] “Use Me” (Bill Withers) tease
[6] Last Time Played 2024-12-10 | 61 show gap