Following a pair of festival appearances earlier this month, Billy Strings kicked off his 2024 summer tour in earnest at the Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, CT on Friday already firing on all cylinders with an incendiary yet intensely humble show. The first of two sold-out nights got off to an earlier-than-usual start, but that wasn’t reflected in an already packed and buzzing audience which greeted the band’s arrival with thundering excitement. That, in and of itself, was no shock as Strings has built a huge, loving fan base through his generational flat-picking fretboard talent, rock-solid supporting cast of players and crew, and more than a few other unusual yet impressive qualities.
Beyond his soaring musical abilities, Billy’s near-constant displays of humility and appreciation for the chances he gets to perform to audiences around the world are one of the more endearing elements of his massive appeal. Between childhood stories of hearing songs by the likes of luminaries Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, Tony Rice—his professed favorite—around campfires and bouts of gushing over the enthusiastic crowds he draws, a portrait of a kind-hearted man graciously appreciating his blessings takes shape. While the more cynically minded among fans reading this might be thinking it’s just a stage persona—or a put-on for his mom, who was in the audience in Connecticut—his genuine, from-the-heart style of speaking is testimony to the truth of the matter.
Related: How To Livestream Billy Strings’ 2024 Summer Tour
Taking the stage with a simple “Howdy folks!” Strings and his band—Jarrod Walker on mandolin, Royal Masat on the upright bass, Alex Hargreaves on the fiddle, and Billy Failing on banjo—the band speedily plugged and offered fans a bit of redemption for his unceremoniously truncated final song at last weekend’s FairWell Festival with a brief “Little Maggie” reprise.
Billy Strings – “Little Maggie (Reprise)”, “While I’m Waiting Here” [Pro-Shot] – 7/26/24
An early “While I’m Waiting Here” and the one-two punch “Fire On My Tongue” into “Secrets” showed that the band was intent on coming out swinging. After an equal parts fun and fierce “Taking Water” showcasing Hargreaves, Strings and his band tore into “Hellbender”. Billy then shared his first testimonial to his heroes, praising Tony Rice, the late bluegrass guitar star, as he readied to deliver a rollicking “Tipper” in his fallen idol’s honor.
Billy then spoke gratefully about the times when things just click. Though he noted that everything worth doing needed some effort and focus, Strings happily observed just how nice it was when things, like the writing of “I’ll Be Gone” with Jarrod Walker, came easy. From there, it was time for his next big shout-out to heroes with some love for Doc Watson and dobroist Jerry Douglas on the Tom Paxton penned, Watson popularized “Leaving London” before wowing the crowd with his own six-string interpretations.
With momentum building, Strings and his band tore through tunes at a speedy clip. “Bridges”, “Home”, and “How Long Have I Been Waiting On You?” went blazing by in a seeming blink of an eye. A satisfyingly jam-packed trio of “On The Line”, “Train 45”, and Cousin Emmy’s “Ruby” finished out a thoroughly enjoyable, high-energy first set.
“Turmoil and Tinfoil” got the second set going full-blast with wild lights, psychedelic fury, and multiple crescendos before Hargreaves helped level everything off to the cheers of a dialed-in audience. Not afraid to feature their own powerful catalog among the greats of the bluegrass world, Strings’ and company imparted loving versions of some of their finest works including an alluring “Red Daisy”, an expansive “Fire Line”, and a speedy “Running”.
Billy Strings – “Turmoil & Tinfoil” – 7/26/24
[Video: Kady’s Live Music Channel]
“Love Like Me” and “Dos Banjos”, which saw Strings pull out his clawhammer banjo to join Failing on the resonant end of the spectrum, finished out the flourish of originals. Next, Billy entered the first Bill Monroe offering of the night into the legends-love-letter file with “Methodist Preacher” before transitioning into an always welcome ”Cabin Song”.
Full-bodied takes on Lawrence Allen Hammond‘s “John Deere Tractor” (which Billy dedicated to his surely smiling mother in the audience) and Bill Monroe’s “Kentucky Mandolin” flowed together before the exhausting second set culminated with a twisting, turning take on Danny Barnes’ dark-hearted tune, “Pretty Daughter”. The evening’s encore began with a wistful “Leaders” (complete with some energetic Beatles teases ranging from a brief riff via “Come Together” to a full-blown verse and chorus of “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road”) and built into a devastating “Wargasm” that shook the crowd one last time.
Billy Strings – “Leaders” > “Wargasm” – 7/26/24
[Video: Kady’s Live Music Channel]
One thing Billy Strings’ many followers will readily tell you is that you get your money’s worth at his shows, and they aren’t wrong. While Strings generally eschews opening acts, he often hits the stage early, making sure to show every dimension of his own talents is on display. Yes, Billy Strings’ name might be on the marquee, but his bandmates get plenty of time to shine as well, and none of them ever stops improving. It’s a wonder to behold.
Billy Strings manages to sell out amphitheaters and arenas wherever he goes yet still gets choked up as he talks about hearing this music first from family and friends. He works hard to honor the folks who created the tunes he covers with reverence and spends equal energy and emotion imparting a similar thankfulness to the fans who make it all possible. Not even the sky can limit this star.
Below, view the full setlist from the Billy Strings 2024 summer tour opener in Bridgeport, CT. For a full list of upcoming dates, head here.
Fans can follow along with the Billy Strings 2024 summer tour from home with livestreams of every show via nugs.net, available free of charge for subscribers. [Editor’s Note: Live For Live Music is a nugs affiliate. Ordering your nugs subscription via the links on this page helps support our coverage of the world of live music. Thank you for reading!].
Setlist [via BillyBase]: Billy Strings | Hartford Healthealthcare Amphitheater | Bridgesport, CT | 7.26.24
Set One: Little Maggie (Traditional) (Finished the Fairwell Festival version), While I’m Waiting Here, Fire On My Tongue > Secrets, Taking Water, Hellbender, Tipper (Tony Rice), Gone A Long Time, Leaving London (Tom Paxton), Ice Bridges, Home, How Long Have I Been Waiting On You?, On The Line > Train 45 (Traditional)> Ruby (Cousin Emmy)
Set Two: Turmoil & Tinfoil, Red Daisy, Fire Line > Running, Love Like Me, Dos Banjos, Methodist Preacher (Bill Monroe)> Cabin Song, John Deere Tractor (Lawrence Hammond)> Kentucky Mandolin (Bill Monroe) > Pretty Daughter (Danny Barnes)
Encore: Leaders > Why Don’t We Do It In The Road > Leaders > Wargasm
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