Billy Strings and his band returned to Oregon on Friday for the first of two nights at Portland’s Moda Center. The show marked a homecoming for the band’s two Oregonians, banjoist Billy Failing and fiddler Alex Hargreaves, as well as for Billy’s Preston Thompson guitar, which was made in nearby Sisters, OR.
The last time Strings played in the Portland area, he sold out McMenamins Edgefield amphitheater, which was packed with a capacity of 7,000. Upon his return to the Beaver State, he moved up to the biggest room in town, jumping over the more modest Veterans Memorial Coliseum and straight to the Moda Center, home of the Trail Blazers, which ordinarily has a capacity of of 20,500. Only the 100-level seats were available, and one side of the venue was blocked off by the stage, so the capacity was probably comparable to the Coliseum’s capacity of 8,000. Still, though, the move from one night at Edgefield to two nights at the Moda Center is a huge leap for any artist, and it shows that Strings’ career is still very much on the ascent. The strong turnout also proved that the Pacific Northwest remains a stronghold for bluegrass even after the recent demise of Northwest String Summit, which Strings played in 2016, back when he was not yet a festival headliner, much less an arena-level act.
Strings’ excitement was obvious as soon as he took the stage and greeted the crowd with an enthusiastic, “Portland, how the f–ck we feeling tonight?” The band launched right into jamming with a series of blistering solos on “Bronzeback”, already pushing each other musically before the first lyrics of the night, which arrived with the following “The Fire On My Tongue”.
Strings took advantage of his wireless setup throughout the show, running around the stage from his main microphone at center-stage to alternative mics set up on either side of the stage, and out to a miniature catwalk that allowed him to get up close and personal with the crowd during “Heartbeat of America”, which included a heavy psych-grass jam.
Billy Strings – “Bronzeback” > “The Fire on My Tongue”, “Heartbeat of America” – 9/29/23
Strings acknowledged Portland with a quick, “Rip City b–tch, Rip Rip City B–tch,” before telling the audience that banjoist Bill Failing was from the city, saying “This is his team,” referring to the Blazers. “Long Forgotten Dream”, “This Old World”, and a ripping “Dust In A Baggie” came next ahead of a pair of covers, “Lumpy, Beanpole & Dirt” by Bad Livers and “Ashland Breakdown” by bluegrass originator Bill Monroe. “Hellbender” featured extended solos from hometown hero Billy Failing and Strings, as well as some harmonized interplay and trading with Alex Hargreaves.
Billy then announced that the band was “gonna play some bluegrass just because,” before launching into “Riding That Midnight Train” by Doc Watson followed by “A Robin Built a Nest on Daddy’s Grave” by Ralph Stanley. At the end of the first set, he noted, “My guitar is behaving so well tonight because it’s home,” explaining that it was made by Preston Thompson in Sisters, OR. A spotlight illuminated him as he showcased the finely crafted instrument with a brief solo interlude that led into a wild “turmoil & Tinfoil” to close the set.
During set break, “Be A Man”, a diss track by Randy Savage aimed at fellow wrestler Hulk Hogan, signaled something strange to come, but not until after the second set, which opened with “Gone For A Long Time”, the first lyric changed to, “Heading down to Portland, two shows in a row.”
Strings showed that he’s got more than just blazing chops on a tender “I’ll Be Your Man” and got back to boot stomping with “Love Like Me”. He then slowed things down again with New Grass Revival‘s “My Name” and “Show Me The Door”. “Fire Line” featured an extended jam with a well-developed arc, and Strings dialed up the intensity during incendiary solos on “Reuben’s Train” and The Stanley Brothers‘ “Rank Stranger”, which included a verse led by Billy Failing.
String stopped to introduce the band but only made it halfway through the list at first. When he asked Failing what is was like to play in the arena where he had gone to Blazers games, he replied, “It’s pretty rad,” adding that he also saw Bill Clinton speak at the arena when he was president. Alex Hargreaves, who grew up in nearby Corvallis, OR, said he had never been to a game there.
Strings embraced his inner rock star again on “Hide and Seek” and then remembered he hadn’t introduced the other two members of the band. First he told the story of meeting bassist Royal Masat at a Phish show in Nashville, saying it was “love at first sight.” Then he introduced “the motherf–cker on mandolin,” Jarrod Walker. “I mean that in a good way, like, ‘He’s a motherf–fucker when he plays that thing,'” Strings told the crowd. He then told the band, “We’re gonna ignore the setlist, boys. I think we’re gonna play a little more bluegrass,” before starting “Come Down the Mountain Katie Daly”.
The trippy sounds and accompanying narration of “Spinning” gave way to a cover of Black Sabbath‘s “Planet Caravan”, and the set concluded with a trio of bluegrass tunes: first “Labor of Love” by Portland’s own Fruition, played for the first time since 2020, then “Takin’ a Slow Train” by Larry Sparks, and finally “Ruby Are You Mad” by The Osborne Brothers.
Billy returned for the encore dress in a muscle costume, striking poses like a professional wrestler. “You’re gonna get an encore and that’s the bottom line!” he said in his best Hulkamania voice. Strings and the band dug a little deeper with The Oak Ridge Boys‘ “Dig a Little Deeper in the Well”, and after a long night of music, he beat his chest and hammed it up for the camera before walking off stage to “Louie Louie”.
Billy Strings returns to the Moda Center tonight, Saturday, September 30th for round two before continuing on to Seattle. For a full list of upcoming shows and to purchase tickets, visit his website.
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Billy Strings – “Ashland Breakdown” (Bill Monroe) – 9/29/23
[Video: Max Berde]
Billy Strings – “Labor Of Love” (Fruition) – 9/29/23
[Video: Max Berde]
Setlist [via BillyBase]: Billy Strings | Moda Center | Portland, OR | 9/29/23
Set 1: Bronzeback > The Fire on My Tongue [1], Heartbeat of America, Long Forgotten Dream, This Old World, Dust in a Baggie > Lumpy, Beanpole & Dirt (Bad Livers) > Ashland Breakdown (Bill Monroe), Hellbender, Riding That Midnight Train (Doc Watson), A Robin Built a Nest on Daddy’s Grave (Ralph Stanley), Turmoil & Tinfoil
Set 2: I’ll Be Gone a Long Time, Love Like Me, Whisper My Name (New Grass Revival), Show Me the Door, Fire Line > Reuben’s Train (Traditional), Rank Stranger (The Stanley Brothers), Hide and Seek, Come Down the Mountain Katie Daly (Traditional), Spinning > Planet Caravan (Black Sabbath) > Labor of Love (Fruition) [2], Takin’ a Slow Train (Larry Sparks) > Ruby Are You Mad (The Osborne Brothers)
Encore: Dig a Little Deeper in the Well (The Oak Ridge Boys) [3]
[1] “Must Be Seven” Fake-out intro
[2] Last Played 2020-07-22 | 303 show gap
[3] Billy played the encore shirtless, in a giant muscle costume, striking wrestling poses for the crowd