Billy Strings set the tone for his 2025 spring tour in triumphant style last night with the first of three shows at St. Augustine Amphitheatre in St. Augustine, FL.
Following a month off, Strings and his bandmates Billy Failing. Jarrod Walker, Royal Masat, and Alex Hargreaves were raring to go as they made their return to the stage, and their energy was matched by the sold-out crowd.
After greeting the buzzing amphitheater with a friendly “Howdy!” Billy and the band dove right in, building a psychedelic soundscape before smoothly wading into “On the Line”. Laying the foundation for a stellar, segue-filled show, they transitioned directly into the bluegrass classic “A Robin Built a Nest on Daddy’s Grave”.
Strings then addressed the crowd, saying, “Well hello again, friends. It’s so good to be back down here.” He sang as he continued, “in the great state of Florida, Florida where the old Suwannee river flows, where my sunshine is waiting for me, way down where the orange tree grows.”
The band launched into “Gone a Long Time”, and the crowd erupted when Strings changed one of the opening lines to, “I’m heading down to Florida for three shows in a row.”
Next came one of the more memorable jam segues of the evening, the traditional “Wild Bill Jones” > “Long Forgotten Dream”, which was followed by another pairing combining an original and a classic song, “Malfunction Junction” > “Riding That Midnight Train”. Strings and company brought the electrifying first set to a close with a cover of Townes Van Zandt‘s “Don’t Let the Sunshine Fool You” and fan favorite “Heartbeat of America”.
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The band came out swinging once again at the start of set two, starting out strong with a sequence of “The Likes of Me” > “Pyramid Country” > “Know It All”. “Happy Hollow” then gave way to “I Only Exist”, which was one of the evening’s standout jams. The highlights continued with the band’s debut of “What Is Home Without Love” by Roy Harvey and The North Carolina Ramblers.
“The Fire on My Tongue” kept the energy high before transitioning into “Bronzeback”. Strings then busted out a cover of Pearl Jam‘s “In Hiding” for the first time since December 2023 (an 81-show gap per Billy Base). A pair of originals, “Gild the Lily” and “My Alice”, was followed by another uncommon cover, The Doors‘ “Hyacinth House”, played for the first time since August 2024.
Set two finished with another fan favorite, “Meet Me at the Creek”, and a pair of bluegrass covers, “Maiden’s Prayer” by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys and “Blues Stay Away From Me” by The Delmore Brothers.
Strings then capped off night one in St. Augustine with a single-song encore, “Sophronie”, a song composed by Alton Delmore and first recorded by Jimmy Martin.
Strings returns to St. Augustine Amphitheatre for two more shows before continuing on to Tampa. Find a full list of upcoming tour dates and tickets here.
nugs all access subscribers can stream last night’s show and the rest of Strings’ 2025 spring tour here. Not a nugs subscriber yet? Sign up here. [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!]
Billy Strings – “On the Line” > “A Robin Built a Nest on Daddy’s Grave” (Earl Sykes), “Gone a Long Time”, “Wild Bill Jones” (Traditional) – 4/3/25
Billy Strings – “Long Forgotten Dream” – 4/3/25
[Video: bklynwmn]
Billy Strings – “Riding That Midnight Train” (Ralph Stanley) – 4/3/25
[Video: bklynwmn]
Billy Strings – “The Likes of Me” > “Pyramid Country” > “Know It All” – 4/3/25
[Video: Steven Leitman]
Billy Strings – “In Hiding” (Pearl Jam) – 4/3/25
[Video: Todd Norris]
Setlist [via Billy Base]: Billy Strings | St. Augustine Amphitheatre | St. Augustine, FL | 4/3/25
Set 1: On the Line > A Robin Built a Nest on Daddy’s Grave (Ralph Stanley), Gone a Long Time, Wild Bill Jones (Traditional) > Long Forgotten Dream, Malfunction Junction > Riding That Midnight Train (Ralph Stanley), Don’t Let the Sunshine Fool You (Townes Van Zandt), Heartbeat of America
Set 2: The Likes of Me (Jerry Reed) > Pyramid Country > Know It All, Happy Hollow, I Only Exist (The Stanley Brothers), What Is Home Without Love (Roy Harvey and The North Carolina Ramblers) [1], The Fire on My Tongue > Bronzeback, In Hiding (Pearl Jam) [2], Gild the Lily, My Alice, Hyacinth House (The Doors), Meet Me at the Creek, Maiden’s Prayer (Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys), Blues Stay Away From Me (The Delmore Brothers)
Encore: Sophronie (Alton Delmore)
Notes:
[1] FTP – Roy Harvey and The North Carolina Ramblers
[2] Last Time Played 2023-12-06 | 81 show gap