Billy Strings made his headlining debut at Red Rocks on Saturday with a crowdless, livestream concert at the iconic Colorado venue. The guitarist delivered three sets containing bluegrass standards, originals and covers from the Grateful Dead, The Beatles, Greensky Bluegrass and more.
Billy and the band — bassist Royal Masat, mandolinist Jarrod Walker and banjo player Billy Failing — got things underway with the traditional “Red Rocking Chair” ahead of “Doin’ Things Right.” Billy then nodded to bluegrass great Bill Monroe with “Southern Flavor” before returning to solo material with the title track to his 2019 album, Home. Strings and company then played the traditional “Willie Roy” ahead of Greensky Bluegrass’ — who Billy performed with last year at Red Rocks — “A Letter To Seymour.” Billy would return Home to close out the first set with “Watch It Fall” and “Away From The Mire.”
Photo by Jesse Faatz
The second set began with the Billys on “Dos Banjos” followed by “Hollow Heart” and Larry Jon Wilson’s “Broomstraw Philosophers and Scuppernong Wine.” Strings continued with “Meet Me At The Creek” from his 2017 album, Turmoil & Tinfoil, ahead of the Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter composition “To Lay Me Down” and The Stanley Brothers’ “Nobody’s Love Is Like Mine.” The originals “Running” and “Love Like Me” capped off the second set.
The third frame kicked off with The Beatles’ “Rocky Racoon” followed by “Taking Water.” Then, Billy and company delivered the Tony Rice instrumental “Tipper” before returning to original material with “Long Forgotten Dream” and “Highway Hypnosis,” which appear in that order on Home. Next, Billy offered up his take on the Grateful Dead classic “Mr. Charlie” ahead of “Turmoil & Tinfoil” and the Cy Coben-penned, Bill Monroe popularized “A Good Woman’s Love.” Billy would bring his Red Rocks headlining debut to a close with a segued segment featuring his own “Pyramid Country,” J.J. Cale’s “Ride Me High” and the traditional “Little Maggie.”
Watch video of the first four songs below:
Setlist
Billy Strings at Red Rocks Amphitheatre
|Set 1
- Red Rocking Chair
- Doin’ Things Right
- Southern Flavor
- Haul de Woodpile Down
- Home
- Willie Roy
- A Letter to Seymour
- Watch It Fall
- Away From the Mire
Set 2
- Dos Banjos
- Hollow Heart
- Broomstraw Philosophers and Scuppernong Wine
- Meet Me at the Creek
- To Lay Me Down
- Nobody’s Love Is Like Mine
- Running
- Love Like Me
Set 3
- Rocky Raccoon
- Taking Water
- Tipper
- Long Forgotten Dream
- Highway Hypnosis
- Mr. Charlie
- Turmoil & Tinfoil
- A Good Woman’s Love
- Pyramid Country Ride Me High Little Maggie
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