Billy Strings recently called for fans to start moshing at his shows and, when they didn’t listen, he went into the crowd in Albany to start the mosh pit himself. Unfortunately, despite Strings’ best efforts, the crowd responded with cell phones rather than circle pits.
Long before Strings was merging bluegrass and psychedelic rock in arenas around the world, he spent his teenage years playing heavy metal in Michigan. Though his dad Terry Barber introduced Strings to bluegrass as a kid, Billy spent his rebellious adolescence playing with Michigan bands Groove Tongue and To Once Darkened Skies. His comic book hero-story arc ultimately brought him back around to bluegrass, but not without the mark of heavy metal—both in his electric-style playing and his copious tattoos and gauged ears.
To Once Darkened Skies (ft. Billy Strings) — Oneida Gospel Church — Grand Ledge, MI — 12/23/06
[Video: Eric Gibbs]
So, perhaps feeling a bit nostalgic for the old days, Strings took the first set-closing “Meet Me At The Creek” for a walk (literally). As Billy Failing, Jarrod Walker, Alex Hargreaves, and Royal Masat played on, Strings hopped offstage and crossed the barrier into the front of the crowd at the 17,500-capacity hockey arena. While still playing his guitar, Strings used the instrument’s head to part the sea of fans until he was front and center.
After running around in a circle did little to spur group action, Strings at one point circled his hand in the air in an attempt to start a circle pit. However, most attendees in his immediate vicinity chose to stare at him through their phone screens. A few people running behind Strings in a similar circular motion seemed to understand the assignment, but—just as society can only move as fast as the slowest person—a circle pit can only go as fast as the person running in front of you. While the “Meet Me At The Creek” jam was still ongoing, Strings even ran up to the rail beside a man with a laundromat’s worth of clothespins attached to his hat who, despite Billy standing right next to him, would not take his hands off the rail or his phone.
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You can watch more videos of the attempted Billy Strings mosh pit in this clip from the private Billy Strings Fans Facebook group, or skip to roughly 1:07:45 in the nugs livestream. There’s a night off before this weekend’s Friday-Saturday run in Newark, NJ. Maybe the fans who are already camped out on the sidewalk outside the show can brush up on some technique while they wait. [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!]
The Mosh Pit: Beginner’s Guide
[Video: Wyatt’s Metal]
Setlist: Billy Strings | MVP Arena | Albany, NY | 11/12/25
Set One: Richard Petty [1], Happy Hollow [2], Malfunction Junction > Airmail Special (Ossie Godson, Leon Rusk), While I’m Waiting Here, Enough To Leave, In the Clear, Matty Groves (Traditional) [3], Country Blues (“Dock” Boggs) [4], Sally Goodin (Traditional) > Secrets, Meet Me At The Creek [5]
Set Two: Guitar Peace > Fearless (Pink Floyd), Turmoil & Tinfoil, Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You [6], All Of Tomorrow, Bronzeback, Hello, City Limits (Johnny Elgin, Benny Martin), Fire Line > Thirst Mutilator > Cabin Song, 10,000 Miles From A Friend, The Beginning of the End
Encore: Freedom [2]
[1] Full band (minus Alex) around single mic
[2] Full band around single mic
[3] Billy Strings solo
[4] Billy Strings solo on clawhammer banjo
[5] Billy Strings left the stage and entered the crowd continuing to play
[6] 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