After luring Derek Trucks to sit in during the second of two sold-out shows at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Saturday, Billy Strings played a special covers-only show down the road at the historic Ryman Auditorium on Sunday. The eminent guitar picker and his trusty band delivered 35 bluegrass favorites with no originals and welcomed Rob McCoury, son of Del McCoury, to sit in on four tunes in the first set.
Strings and his bandmates—Billy Failing (banjo), Jarrod Walker (mandolin), Royal Masat (bass), and Alex Hargreaves (fiddle)—took the stage dressed to the nines in cowboy outfits styled by Cathy Hanh, who has worked with artists like Post Malone and Orville Peck. The fancy costuming may have been due to the fact that the show was allegedly taped for PBS, according to fans who got the scoop from a loose-lipped usher. Those rumors were corroborated by extra cameras, which were conspicuous considering there was no livestream. It could also help explain why the band played two sets of covers.
Among the artists Strings and company covered were Jimmy Martin, The Dillards, Larry Sparks, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, and Keith Allison. The Dillards commented on Strings’ post after the show expressing appreciation for his covers:
“Billy Strings thanks for always representing our songs well. We always appreciate the Dillards covers you do. As you know, Jarrod Walker is a good friend of ours (and his brother Cory Walker has been a Dillard for years).
Thank you!”
Rob McCoury joined the band in the middle of the first set for covers of “Eight More Miles to Louisville” by Grandpa Jones, “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, “Bringing Mary Home” by The Country Gentlemen, and the traditional “Long Journey Home”. After the show, Billy Strings headed over to Robert’s to sit in at his own show’s after-party.
Scroll down to view the entire 35-cover setlist and click below to watch a collection of fan-shot videos. For a list of upcoming Billy Strings tour dates and to purchase tickets, visit his website.
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Billy Strings – Ryman Auitorium – Nashville, TN – 2/26/23 – Set One [Partial]
[Video: HOLLAR LAND USA]
Billy Strings – Ryman Auitorium – Nashville, TN – 2/26/23 – Set Two [Partial]
[Video: HOLLAR LAND USA]
Billy Strings – “Tennessee” (Jimmy Martin) – 2/26/23
[Video: Ohio Grown Live Music Archive]
Setlist: Billy Strings | Ryman Auditorium | Nashville, TN | 2/26/23
Set 1: Tennessee (Jimmy Martin), These Old Blues (Traditional), The Old Home Place (The Dillards), A Face in the Crowd (Larry Sparks), Dark Hollow (Bill Browning and His Echo Valley Boys), Air Mail Special (Jim and Jesse), Somehow Tonight (Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs), White Dove (The Stanley Brothers), Big Sandy River (Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys), Freeborn Man (Keith Allison), Eight More Miles to Louisville (Grandpa Jones) [1], Foggy Mountain Breakdown (Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs) [1], Bringing Mary Home (The Country Gentlemen) [1], Long Journey Home (Traditional) [1], Down the Road (Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs), New Camptown Races (Muleskinner), Come Down the Mountain Katie Daly (Traditional)
Set 2: Ole Slew-Foot (Johnny Horton), The Road to Columbus (Bill Monroe), The Letter Edged in Black (Hattie Nevada), Southern Flavor (Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys), Stone Walls and Steel Bars (The Stanley Brothers), Sitting on Top of the World (Mississippi Sheiks), John Deere Tractor (Larry Sparks), Think of What You’ve Done (The Stanley Brothers), I’ve Just Seen the Rock of Ages (Ralph Stanley), Hello City Limits (Harley “Red” Allen), Lonesome Moonlight Waltz (Bill Monroe), Blues Stay Away From Me (The Delmore Brothers), Peartree (Doc Watson), Nobody’s Love Is Like Mine (The Stanley Brothers), Rank Stranger (The Stanley Brothers), Ashland Breakdown (Bill Monroe), My Sweet Blue-Eyed Darlin’ (Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys), Roll On Buddy Roll On (Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys)
[1] With Rob McCoury.