Following an overseas tour of duty, Billy Strings landed back on domestic soil for a show Wednesday in Greensboro, NC. The pickin’ grinnin’ bluegrass guitar sensation kicked off a brief winter tour leg with his second-annual sold-out show at the Greensboro Coliseum in central North Carolina.
Undeterred by any weeknight obligations, the Hump Day crowd came out in full force to the 22,000-seat arena to give Strings, Billy Failing, Jarrod Walker, Royal Masat, and Alex Hargreaves a hero’s welcome upon their return to the States. The band recently finished its second-annual European tour, trading the U.S. arenas to which they have become increasingly accustomed for intimate venues and small theaters throughout Europe and the U.K.
Those small venues were a long ways away both literally and figuratively when the five stringed horsemen of the apocalypse strolled onstage and dove straight in with a nonstop opening locomotive of “On The Line” > “Train 45” > “Ruby”. Billy’s first set on U.S. soil since the Halloween Van Andel Scramble saw a reshuffling of the deck with appearances by less common songs like a fitting cover of “Greenville Trestle High”, “The Cuckoo”, and the set-closing take on Pearl Jam‘s “In Hiding”. Strings also gave his fellow countrymen their first performance of his new instrumental “Escanaba”, debuted in Luxembourg.
Billy Strings – “On The Line” > “Train 45” (Traditional) > “Ruby (Cousin” Emmy) – 12/6/23
Related: Billy Strings Teases New Music On Reprise Records [Update]
The second set featured more rarities including the opening “Love Me Darlin’, Just Tonight”, “Southern Flavor”, and “Ten Degrees & Getting Colder”, with the latter making its first appearance in 101 shows. In between, Strings and his band showed off their instrumental ingenuity with a sandwich of “Wargasm” > “Southern Flavor” > “Wargasm” piled high with jams.
The titillating improvisation kept fans on their toes, as an incendiary “The Fire On My Tongue” appeared to be heading straight for “Must Be Seven”, only for the band to pull off a fake-out transition to “The Hobo Song”. Ending the second set with a triumphantly exploratory “Turmoil & Tinfoil”, Strings had confidently announced his arrival back in the United States. Taking the stage solo for the encore, Billy delivered a contemplative solo acapella rendition of “And Am I Born To Die?” before closing out the show alongside his band with “Cabin Song”, his original tune featured in the new The Hunger Games prequel.
Check out videos from Billy Strings’ tour kick-off in Greensboro, NC. The brief stretch of shows continues this weekend with a two-night run in Baltimore on Friday and Saturday. For tickets and a full list of tour dates head here. nugs subscribers can tune in for free livestreams of each show here.
Billy Strings – “The Cuckoo” (Traditional) > “Long Forgotten Dream” – 12/6/23
[Video: BanjoBandit]
Billy Strings – “Little Maggie” (Traditional) – 12/6/23
[Video: BanjoBandit]
Billy Strings – “Fire Line” – 12/6/23
[Video: BanjoBandit]
Setlist: Billy Strings | Greensboro Coliseum | Greensboro, NC | 12/6/23
Set One: On The Line > Train 45 (Traditional) > Ruby (Cousin Emmy), My Alice, Greenville Trestle High (James Jett), The Cuckoo (Traditional) > Long Forgotten Dream, Away From The Mire, Bronzeback, Little Maggie (Traditional), Escanaba, Fire Line > In Hiding (In Pearl)
Set Two: Love Me Darlin’, Just Tonight (Red Malone, Carter Stanley), Wargasm > Southern Flavor (Bill Monroe) > Wargasm, Tennessee Stud (Jimmie Driftwood), The Fire On My Tongue > The Hobo Song (Jack Bonus) [1], Be Your Man, Northern White Clouds (Bill Monroe), California Sober, Ten Degrees & Getting Colder (Gordon Lightfoot) [2] > Turmoil & Tinfoil
Encore: And Am I Born To Die? (Charles Wesley) [3], Cabin Song
[1] “Must Be Seven” fake-out intro
[2] Last Played 2022-12-04 | 101 show gap
[3] Billy Strings solo acapella
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