Billy Strings returned to his home state of Michigan yesterday to headline Charlotte Bluegrass Festival, an event near and dear to the bluegrass phenom’s heart.
The performance marked a full-circle moment for Strings, who grew up in nearby Muir, MI, as Charlotte Bluegrass Festival was the first bluegrass festival he ever attended at just four years old. He last played the festival ten years ago, well before he was selling out multi-night arena runs around the globe and collecting Grammy nominations like Pokemon cards. A banner welcomed Billy back to the festival with a heartwarming message to him and his growing family, reading, “Welcome home Billy, Ally and River.”
Speaking of family, Strings’ headlining set was made even more special with an appearance by his father Terry Barber, who sat in on a few classic tunes. Guitarist Junior Sisk also joined the band during the encore for “Love Me Darlin’, Just Tonight”.
During the day, Billy was spotted enjoying himself at the festival in his typical nonchalant style—this is a guy who has mingled with fans in the parking lot outside his own sold-out shows on multiple occasions. The intimate festival was a now-rare chance for fans to get up close and personal with the virtuoso, and to see him perform for a crowd less than half the size of his usual draw. Tickets for the festival reportedly sold out within 12 hours after his appearance was announced.
“It’s good to be back,” Strings told the few thousand folks who had been eagerly awaiting his set all day. “I remember my dad holding me and seeing Jim and Jesse here and it changed my whole life.”
He went on to describe how his experience at the festival made a profound impact on him at a young age and set him on the path to bluegrass glory:
“I heard music at home, but this festival was the first time I heard banjos and fiddles played into microphones coming out of speakers like that. I saw the big suits and the big hats and the gold-plated banjos and everything. These guys were 10-feet tall, man. I was 4 years old, and I saw those guys picking up here and I knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So, if you’re 4 years old and you’re out in the crowd, you can do this, too.”
For his 90-minute set, Strings kept it mostly classic, selecting 21 tunes from the bluegrass canon including songs by Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, Larry Sparks, and more, as well as original compositions, highlighting his own place as a modern architect, innovator, and faithful steward of the genre.
Check out photos and fan-shot video highlights from Billy Strings at Charlotte Music Festival below.
Strings will cap off this leg of his summer tour with two sold-out shows at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY before making his first trip to Australia and New Zealand. He will return to the road in August after opening for Dead & Company at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Find a full list of tour dates and ticketing information here, and stream his upcoming shows via nugs.
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Billy Strings – Charlotte Bluegrass Festival – Walkout & Introduction – 6/19/25
[Video: Doug Heck]
Setlist [via BillyBase]: Billy Strings | Charlotte Bluegrass Festival | Eaton County Fairgrounds | Charlotte, MI | 6/19/25
Set: Sally Goodin > Ridin’ That Midnight Train, Close By, Hellbender, John Deere Tractor, Red Daisy Train 45 Blues Stay Away From Me, Blackjack County Chains, I’ll Remember You, Love, In My Prayers, Shackles & Chains, Randall Collins > Done Gone, Hello, City Limits, Don’t Step Over an Old Love [1][2], Little Cabin Home On The Hill [3][4], Little Blossom [1], What Would You Give (In Exchange For Your Soul)? [3], Dust In A Baggie
Encore: Love Me Darlin’, Just Tonight [5][6], Y’all Come [7]
Setlist Notes:
1. w/ Terry Barber on guitar and lead vocals
2. Last Time Played 2024-10-04 | 57 show gap
3. w/ Terry Barber on guitar and vocals
4. Last Time Played 2024-05-24 | 76 show gap
5. w/ Junior Sisk on guitar and lead vocals
6. Last Time Played 2024-08-03 | 65 show gap
7. w/ Junior Sisk on guitar and vocals