Billy Strings paid a visit to the City of Brotherly Love over the weekend, stopping for a two-night stand at Philadelphia’s Metropolitan Opera House, also known as The Met, on Saturday and Sunday.
Accompanied by his trusty bandmates Billy Failing (banjo/vocals), Jarrod Walker (mandolin/vocals), Royal Masat (bass/vocals), and Alex Hargreaves (fiddle), Strings treated fans at the historic opera house to a mix of originals and covers, including “Dreadful Wind & Rain”, a tune famously recorded by David Grisman and Jerry Garcia and chosen by Jarrod Walker, and the Delmore Brothers‘ “Freight Train Boogie”, the lone debut of the weekend.
Related: Billy Strings To Livestream Next Ten Shows For Free Via nugs.net
In addition to “Dreadful Wind & Rain”—which Billy introduced saying, “This is what Jarrod Walker wants to hear. Jarrod Walker gets what Jarrod Walker wants,”—Saturday’s setlist also included covers of “Ole Slewfoot” by Johnny Horton, “Cold On The Shoulder” by Gordon Lightfoot, “A Face In The Crowd” by Larry Sparks, “Open Up Them Pearly Gates” by The Seekers, the traditional “Sally Goodin”, “Southern Flavor” by Bill Monroe, “Rank Stranger” by The Stanley Brothers, and “Psycho” by Eddie Noack. Strings and company rounded out the two-set show with fan-favorite originals “Highway Hypnosis”, “Hide & Seek”, and more, and for the encore, they selected “Hold That Woodpile Down” by Sam Patterson.
Billy Strings – “Taking Water” – 11/12/22 [Pro-Shot]
Sunday likewise featured a flurry of covers beginning with The String Cheese Incident‘s “Black Clouds”. Songs by Doc Watson, Frank Wakefield, Bill Monroe, Jeff Austin, Roy Acuff, and more furnished the second night’s setlist alongside originals including the show-opening “The Fire On My Tongue”, “Dust In A Baggie”, and “Turmoil & Tinfoil”. The band closed the weekend with Reno and Smiley‘s 1952 country gospel track “I’m Gone, Long Gone”.
Billy Strings – “The Fire On My Tongue” > “Black Clouds” (The String Cheese Incident) – 11/13/22 [Pro-Shot]
Check out fan-shot videos and a gallery of photos from Billy Strings at The Met courtesy of photographer Josh Hitchens/Bolt of Sunshine below. Both shows were livestreamed for free via nugs.net as part of The Billy Strings Fall Free For All. Three shows remain in the series, including one in Richmond, VA on November 17th and two nights in Washington, D.C. on the 18th and 19th. Click here to stream the shows via nugs, and visit Billy’s website for a full list of upcoming tour dates and tickets.
Setlist [via billybase.com]: Billy Strings | Metropolitan Opera House | Philadelphia, PA | 11/12/22
Set 1: Taking Water > Ice Bridges, In The Morning Light, Must Be Seven > Pyramid Country > Ole Slewfoot (Johnny Horton), Nothing’s Working, Cold On The Shoulder (Gordon Lightfoot), Slow Train, A Face In The Crowd (Larry Sparks), Highway Hypnosis, Open Up Them Pearly Gates (The Seekers), Dreadful Wind & Rain (Traditional) [1], Sally Goodin (Traditional)
Set 2: Everything’s The Same, Doin’ Things Right, Southern Flavor (Bill Monroe) > Dealing Despair, Leaders, All Fall Down (John Hartford), Running The Route, Running, Rank Stranger (The Stanley Brothers), Psycho (Eddie Noack) > Hide & Seek
Encore: Hold That Woodpile Down (Sam Patterson)
[1] Jarrod Walker’s choice
Setlist [via billybase.com]: Billy Strings | Metropolitan Opera House | Philadelphia, PA | 11/13/22
Set 1: The Fire On My Tongue > Black Clouds (The String Cheese Incident), Way Downtown (Doc Watson), End Of The Rainbow (Frank Wakefield), While I’m Waiting Here, Shenandoah Breakdown (Bill Monroe), Heartbeat Of America, Fiddling Around (Jeff Austin), Dust In A Baggie, Freight Train Boogie (Delmore Brothers) [1]
Set 2: On The Line > Train 45, Ernest T. Grass (The Dillards) > How Mountain Girls Can Love (The Stanley Brothers), Fire Line > Thirst Mutilator > Hollow Heart, Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor (Traditional), Streamline Cannonball (Roy Acuff), Love & Regret, I’ll Remember You, Love, In My Prayers (William “Billy” Hayes), Bronzeback, Look Up, Look Down That Lonesome Road (Gene Austin), Turmoil & Tinfoil
Encore: I’m Gone, Long Gone (Reno and Smiley)
[1] First time played
