Billy Strings finished his 2025 touring calendar on Sunday by bringing things back around to the traditional bluegrass picking parties of his youth. The sit-down (at least for the band) performance at the intimate 2,750-capacity ACL Live at The Moody Theater in Austin was the site of a similar Billy Strings show one year and one day earlier.

Before everyone took their seats at the home of PBS‘s Austin City Limits, however, Strings and his band—Jarrod Walker (mandolin), Royal Masat (bass), Alex Hargreaves (fiddle), and Billy Failing (banjo)—staged one of their more traditional (that is, un-traditional) shows at the spacious Moody Center across downtown Austin. The last arena-sized Billy Strings show of 2025 went heavy on originals (16 of 26 songs) plus covers of Jeff Austin, Blaze Foley, and Jim Croce, and a climactic “Meet Me At The Creek” finale before Strings put his effects pedals away.

Billy Strings — “Meet Me At The Creek” — 12/13/25

[Video: MrTopdogger]

The following night, as Billy stripped the performance and the songs themselves back to their bare essentials, he reflected,

As I get older, and as time moves along, and as electronics and f–ing AI and everything takes over the world, I am so lucky to [have] been exposed to this kind of music, I feel. And my dad and mom showed me all sorts of tunes growing up. My dad was always playing guitar and singing around the house, and it was just the way it was. I kinda thought every family was like that. And I realized how lucky I was to be exposed to all these tunes. When I really think about it, doing this kind of thing is when I feel the most at home, like I’m doing the authentic thing, you know? And I play these songs and I remember just being a little kid hearing my dad sing ’em, and it just takes me back, it can give me déjà vu and put me right back there when I was a kid.

Strings, dressed in his Sunday best with a tan windowpane blazer and dress shirt buttoned all the way up, revisited the songs of his childhood and earliest musical memories. The 36-song setlist included songs written by The Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, The Dillards, and Larry Sparks, and other borrowed songs recorded by Doc Watson, Flatt & Scruggs, and Jimmy Martin.

Billy Strings — “Ridin’ That Midnight Train” (Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys), “I Only Exist” (Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys) — 12/14/25

“We’re gonna kinda lean on some of the old grass stuff that we’ve cut our teeth on, and just have a nice little night of pickin’ here for ya,” Strings said early in the show, surrounded by his bandmates all looking like they just came from Sunday church (aside from Royal’s sunglasses). Despite the traditional format, Masat utilized his electric jazz bass, “Whitey,” for the entire show.

Following a foot-tapping first-set “It Ain’t Before” and Hargreaves shining on “Maiden’s Prayer”, Strings came back to one of the first songs he learned from his dad, “Beaumont Rag”. Terry Barber‘s imprint was evident throughout the show, including the traditional “Way Downtown” which they recorded together on 2022’s Me/And/Dad, with Billy dedicating “The Preacher & The Bear” to his father.

“So I don’t know if my dad’s at home listening right now, but if he is, I want to send this one out to him,” Strings said before summoning some powerful vocals that surely bore some resemblance to his dad’s.

Strings also dusted off some covers not seen in years, including The Country Gentlemen‘s eerie “Bringing Mary Home”, the aforementioned “Preacher & The Bear”, and Larry Sparks’ “Natural Thing to Do”, none of which had been played since 2024 (per BillyBase). The biggest bust-out, though, came at the tail end of the show with the Mac Odell-penned, Flatt & Scruggs-recorded “Cora is Gone”, performed for just the eighth time and last seen on July 19th, 2020, at Nashville’s Station Inn.

Despite the show’s trad format, Strings nonetheless stuck a big jam vehicle in the show’s penultimate slot with “Little Maggie”. Even without distortion or electric effects, the guitarist still blended his styles as open flatpicking gave way to upper-neck bends and slides, building to his lengthy holler, all within the span of just a few minutes. Finally, Billy Strings finished off the Moody Theater show, the Austin run, and the year with the genteel farewell, “We Shall All Be Reunited”.

Check out videos from Billy Strings’ 2025 finale at the Moody Theater in Austin below. Forgoing his usual New Year’s in New Orleans, Strings will return to the stage for a two-night run in Athens, GA (2/6–2/7) to kick off a mostly sold-out Southeast winter tour. Look for tickets on Ticketmaster, or try CashorTrade, StubHub, or VividSeats.

nugs All Access subscribers can rewatch Strings’ December run on demand at no additional charge. Now through January 5th, nugs is offering new subscribers a year of All Access membership for $99.99, as opposed to the usual $199.99. Start streaming here.

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Billy Strings — “A Face In The Crowd” (Larry Sparks) — 12/14/25

[Video: MrTopdogger]

Billy Strings — “Down The Road” (The Foggy Mountain Boys) — 12/14/25

[Video: MrTopdogger]

Billy Strings — “Way Downtown” (Traditional) — 12/14/25

[Video: MrTopdogger]

Setlist: Billy Strings | ACL Live At The Moody Theater | Austin, TX | 12/14/25

Set One: Ridin’ That Midnight Train (Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys) [1], I Only Exist (Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys), Big Spike Hammer (The Osborne Brothers), Maiden’s Prayer (Bob Willis & His Texas Playboys), It Ain’t Before, Bringing Mary Home (The Country Gentlemen) [2], Beaumont Rag (Traditional), The Preacher & The Bear (George Fairman) [3], I’ll Remember You, Love, In My Prayers (Will S. Hays), Cabin Song, All Of Tomorrow, Nobody’s Love Is Like Mine (The Stanley Brothers and The Clinch Mountain Boys) [4] [5], Libby Phillips Rag, Natural Thing to Do (Larry Sparks) [6], Slow Train (Leroy Drumm, Carl Freeman), There Is A Time (The Dillards), Old Home Place (The Dillards)
Set Two: Gone A Long Time, A Face In The Crowd (Larry Sparks) [7], These Memories Of You [8], Down The Road (The Foggy Mountain Boys) [9], Bronzeback, Harbor of Love (The Stanley Brothers), Katy Daley (Eamon O’Shea), Hollow Heart, Greenville Trestle High (James Jett), The Letter Edged In Black (Hattie Nevada), Ocean Of Diamonds (Cliff Carnahand, Ashland Breakdown (Bill Monroe), Blue Virginia Blues (Leroy Drumm, Pete Goble) [10], Way Downtown (Traditional), Shady Grove (Traditional), Dark Hollow (Bill Browning), Cora Is Gone (Mac Odell) [11], Little Maggie (Traditional), We Shall All Be Reunited (Newton S. Sitzlar)

[1] Sit down sets with Royal Masat on his electric jazz bass “Whitey” for the entire show
[2] Last Time Played 2024-03-02 | 137 show gap
[3] Last Time Played 2024-12-07 | 95 show gap
[4] Jarrod Walker on lead vocals
[5] Last Time Played 2025-02-08 | 82 show gap
[6] Last Time Played 2024-08-02 | 114 show gap
[7] Last Time Played 2023-12-09 | 152 show gap
[8] Last Time Played 2025-02-15 | 80 show gap
[9] Billy Failing on lead vocals
[10] Last Time Played 2025-03-01 | 75 show gap
[11] Last Time Played 2020-07-19 | 479 show gap