In the latest installment of his ongoing Tuesday Tour Stories series, Dopapod guitarist Rob Compa recollects the time Billy Strings sat in with the band in Washington, D.C.
The sit-in occurred on November 19th, 2022 at the Union Stage, where Dopapod was playing an after-show following Billy’s performance at The Anthem next door. The seeds of the sit-in were planted months before that, however, when Compa shot his shot by sliding Strings an Instagram DM, introducing himself, and asking if Billy would be interested in dropping by given the two venues’ proximity. Rob never heard back, so you could imagine the surprise he, keyboardist Eli Winderman, drummer Neal “Fro” Evans, and bassist Chuck Jones‘ felt when they walked backstage for their encore break that night and found Strings sitting nonchalantly on a road case.
“Apparently what had happened was he had tried to get into our show, and our show was sold out, and they wouldn’t let him in, to his own after-party,” Compa explained with his son, Lukas—born weeks after the Billy sit-in–squirming on his lap. Luckily for Strings, Dopapod’s tour manager Nesto Hernandez came to the rescue after Billy’s presence among the throngs of fans hanging outside began to cause a bit of a commotion.
While Compa had a Fender Stratocaster to lend Strings, he didn’t have an extra amplifier or pedals. Luckily, it was Nesto—the unsung hero of the Billy Strings/Dopapod collaboration—to the rescue again as he repurposed Winderman’s clavinet amp for the guitar. As for the lack of pedals, Billy said, “It’s okay, I’ll just turn it up to ten,” with Compa recalling, “Which he did, trust me.”
“It was like The Beatles were there when he walked onstage with us,” Compa remembered. “It was a little scary, people rushed the stage and started crying and stuff. I’d never really experienced anything like that.”
The most heartwarming part of the saga came at the end, when Billy and Dopapod walked offstage after playing D-pod’s own “Eight Years Ended”. Talking backstage, Compa thanked Billy for coming by this specific show as it would be his last Dopapod concert before becoming a dad. “And he just kind of like lit up,” Compa added. “He was a little shy before, and it just evaporated and he was super stoked for me and he gave me a big hug. And that was nice.”
Watch Rob Compa recount the full story of Billy Strings’ sit-in with Dopapod below. Dopapod is preparing to head out on a three-week tour beginning later this month. For a complete list of the band’s upcoming shows, head here.
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