Billy Strings finished his mini European/U.K. fall tour on Sunday in Dublin, where he dusted off “The Hobo Song”—a cover favored by bluegrass supergroup Old & In The Way—for the first time since December 6th, 2023, (137 show gap) per BillyBase.
After making their historic debut at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Saturday, Strings, banjoist Billy Failing, fiddler Alex Hargreaves, bassist Royal Masat, and mandolinist Jarrod Walker made the short flight to Dublin, Ireland to play the more modest National Stadium. The multi-purpose boxing arena holds only 2,000 attendees, but since it opened in 1939, has hosted concerts from Led Zeppelin, U2, Van Morrison, The Smiths, Genesis, and Thin Lizzy in the British and Irish bands’ early days.
Strings added to that musical history on Sunday with a show which leaned heavily on covers from an array of artists who inspired him. Of the 25 songs played across two sets (and no encore), 11 were covers from the likes of Bob Dylan, Blaze Foley, Roy Acuff, and Jerry Reed, whose “The Likes of Me” kickstarted a non-stop trio of songs through “Pyramid Country” and a first set-closing “Little Maggie” that was a highlight of the show.
To start the second set, Strings and company busted out “The Hobo Song”, originally written by cult singer-songwriter Jack Bonus and released in 1972 as a soul-stirring ballad. Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Peter Rowan, Vassar Clements, and John Kahn later transposed the song for Old & In The Way’s 1973 self-titled debut album.
The tale of a man cut down by his appetites was a natural fit among Strings’ own songs of struggles and redemption, spread throughout Sunday’s show. Reflections on loss (“Enough to Leave”), isolation (“While I’m Waiting Here”), and his troubled upbringing (“Home”) were counterbalanced with the sentimentality of “I’m One of Those” and the self-improvement journey of “Be Your Man”, before it was finally time for “The Beginning of the End”.
Billy Strings — “The Hobo Song” (Jack Bonus) — 10/12/25
[Video: JeDiFoo]
Billy Strings — “Home” — 10/12/25
[Video: JeDiFoo]
To finish the show and bid farewell to Ireland, Strings and company dusted off another old cover picked up by a seminal progressive bluegrass group. Closing duties went to “Colleen Malone”, penned by bluegrass songwriters Leroy Drumm and Pete Goble and famously recorded by Hot Rize. This was yet another full-circle moment in Strings’ career, as he recently finished a U.S. trio tour with bassist Masat and guitarist Bryan Sutton, who joined the reformed Hot Rize in 2002 following the death of co-founder Charles Sawtelle.
Billy Strings — “Colleen Malone” (Leroy Drumm, Pete Goble) — 10/12/25
[Video: RS T’ner]
With another international tour in the books—following his debut in Australia and New Zealand over the summer—Strings has again proved there are few boundaries he cannot cross, both geographically and musically.
Check out some videos from Billy Strings’ European/U.K. tour closer in Dublin on Sunday. nugs All Access subscribers can rewatch the entire tour on demand at no additional charge. Sign up for a nugs.net All Access subscription here. [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!]
Strings will return to the U.S later this month for a fall tour, set to kick off with a three-night run at Huntsville, AL’s Orion Amphitheater (10/23–10/25). Find tickets and tour dates here or on his website.
Billy Strings — “Taking Water” > “Ice Bridges” [Pro-Shot] — 10/12/25
Setlist: Billy Strings | The National Stadium | Dublin, Ireland | 10/12/25
Set One: Taking Water > Ice Bridges, Streamline Cannonball (Roy Acuff), Cold Cold World (Blaze Foley), Enough To Leave, Malfunction Junction > Drifter’s Escape (Bob Dylan), Hollow Heart, St. Louis Blues (W.C. Handy), While I’m Waiting Here, Likes Of Me (Jerry Reed) > Pyramid Country [1] > Little Maggie (Traditional)
Set Two: The Hobo Song (Jack Bonus) [2], I’m One Of Those, Hello, City Limits (Johnny Elgin, Benny Martin), Fire Line, Be Your Man, St. James Hospital (Traditional), It Ain’t Before [3], Miss The Mississippi And You (Bill Halley), Highway Hypnosis, Home, The Beginning of the End, Colleen Malone (Leroy Drumm, Pete Goble) [4]
[1] “Red-Haired Boy” (Traditional) tease
[2] Last Time Played 2023-12-06 | 137 show gap
[3] Last Time Played 2025-04-15 | 50 show gap
[4] Last Time Played 2023-03-17 | 212 show gap