After nine headlining shows in six states and one Canadian province, plus a set opening for Dead & Company in Golden Gate Park, Billy Strings‘ summer tour closed on Saturday in Eugene, OR. The tour closer at the University of Oregon’s 12,364-seat Matthew Knight Arena featured one of the longer versions of John Hartford‘s “All Fall Down” on record, clocking in at just shy of 23 minutes.
Saturday’s show opened with a predominantly original first set, starting with “Red Daisy” and “Hellbender” followed by a continuous run of “Taking Water” > “Running the Route” > “Dust in a Baggie”. Greensky Bluegrass‘ “Reverend” marked the evening’s first cover—one of only seven from the 22-song setlist—and opened up into a pleasant type I jam that got passed around from banjoist Billy Failing, to fiddler Alex Hargeaves, to Strings himself. At 13 minutes, it marked the longest song of the show thus far, a title it would hold onto until about halfway through the second set.
Billy Strings — “Red Daisy”, “Hellbender”, “Taking Water” > “Running The Route” —8/23/25
Billy Strings — “Reverend” (Greensky Bluegrass) — 8/23/25
[Video: Todd Norris]
Strings put the pedal to the metal with a “Leadfoot” second set opener, before stitching together Hartford’s “I’m Still Here” with his first “Raleigh and Spencer” since July 30th, 2024, a gap of 84 shows per BillyBase. Billy wasn’t done paying homage to the late progressive bluegrass forefather, and after a tender “In the Morning Light” breather, lit up a slow-burning “All Fall Down”.
Creeping in with an echoey, harmonic intro, Strings didn’t even reach the song’s central riff until six minutes in. While the first set’s “Reverend” highlighted pointed jamming that stayed within the song’s structure, atmospheric playing defined “All Fall Down”. Failing’s swirling, wah-soaked banjo pushed the improvisation from an ambient psychedelic haze to something that reached through the speakers for your undivided attention.
After playing a supporting role through the jam’s front half, Strings took over the back nine. Using an assortment of effects, Billy’s strings slithered from one side of the arena to the other as Hargreaves’ saw kept the rhythmic embers stoked for the jam’s central combustion. Finally, Strings kicked on his envelope filter for some elastic soloing that pushed the jam over the peak and the 22-minute mark. According to BillyBase, Strings’ longest “All Fall Down” ever took place on November 10th, 2023, in Cologne, Germany, lasting 28 minutes and four seconds.
Billy Strings — “All Fall Down” (John Hartford) — 8/23/25
[Video: MrTopdogger]
Following the “All Fall Down”, a single-mic trio of “Richard Petty”, The Stanley Brothers‘ “Harbor of Love”, and “Freedom” provided a much-needed respite for all parties. Upon returning to their marks, Billy Strings and his bandmates rode out the rest of the encore-less show with “Malfunction Junction” > “Must Be Seven” > “Pyramid Country” > “Little Maggie” for a non-stop, 20-minute sprint over the finish line to close the concert and the summer tour.
Check out some fan-shot videos from Billy Strings’ summer tour closer in Eugene. Up next for Strings is a sold-out trio tour with Bryan Sutton and bassist Royal Masat, followed by a set at Farm Aid 40 in Minneapolis on September 20th before Billy returns to Europe in October. He’ll come back to domestic stages later that month for a leg of shows set to run through December. Find tickets and tour dates here or on his website.
The tour closer is available to stream on demand via nugs. [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!]
Billy Strings — “Raleigh & Spencer” (Traditional) — 8/23/25
[Video: MrTopdogger]
Setlist: Billy Strings | Matthew Knight Arena | Eugene, OR | 8/23/25
Set One: Red Daisy, Hellbender, Taking Water > Running The Route > Dust In A Baggie, Reverend (Greensky Bluegrass), Home, In the Clear > Ashland Breakdown (Bill Monroe), Gild the Lily
Set Two: Leadfoot [1], I’m Still Here (John Hartford) > Raleigh & Spencer (Traditional) [2], In The Morning Light, All Fall Down (John Hartford), Richard Petty [3], Harbor of Love (The Stanley Brothers) [4], Freedom [4], Malfunction Junction > Must Be Seven > Pyramid Country > Little Maggie (Traditional)
[1] Billy Strings on his Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo & Billy Failing on Guitar
[2] Last Time Played 2024-07-30 | 84 show gap
[3] Full band (minus Alex) around single mic
[4] Full band around single mic