Photo Credit: Stevo Rood
Billy Strings has been keeping busy this fall. After releasing his long-awaited sixth studio album Highway Prayers on Sept. 27 to a tremendous reception–becoming the first bluegrass album to top Billboard’s Top Album Sales Chart since 2002–the artist made history again with his third annual Renewal Festival, which he suddenly stepped away from to be present for the birth of his first son. This marathon run continued last weekend when Strings carried on the celebration in his home state, welcoming a heartwarming sit-in from his father, Terry Barber, during his two-night run at Clarkston, Mich.’s Pine Knob Music Theatre. On Friday, Oct. 11, Strings returned to the stage again, giving his Indiana fans a taste of how this momentum can supercharge his V8 engine.
On Friday night, Strings set off a two-show series at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis with a roaring two-and-a-half-hour performance. The artist tore into his performance with the fitting first entry of “Leaning on a Travelin’ Song,” the intro track on Highway Prayers. This quick-picking crowd-warmer arrived as the new standout’s live debut, and catapulted the ensemble into a raucous set lined with fan favorites like “Running,” “While I’m Waiting Here” and Bad Livers’ “Pretty Daughter.” The whole band stripped things back around the set’s midpoint, encircling a single mic at centerstage for shimmering harmonies on Highway Prayers album closer “Richard Petty” and “Freedom,” Strings’ collaboration with Lindsay Lou lifted from 2019’s Home. The band closed out the first frame with a rapturous “Highway Hypnosis,” punctuated by a fiery jam.
After a brief intermission, bluegrass’ golden boy and his band of brothers returned to the stage with another live debut, this time sharing “Malfunction Junction.” Further crowd pleasers came as the band unfurled a segued three-track run of “First Line,” “Thirst Mutilator” and “Hollow Heart,” then dropped into a live debut of the spaced-out folk odyssey “Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You.” The evening’s final act was lined with plenty of covers, including Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage,” The Carter Family’s “Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorow” and John Hartford’s “With a Vamp in the Middle,” which primed the band for an explosive “Wargasm” and set closer of Jimmie Skinner’s “Doin’ My Time.” Strings and company sent the crowd off into the night with an encore of The Stanley Brothers’ “Going to the Races,” which was the song’s first staging since August 28, 2021.
Strings will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse tonight, Oct. 12. For tickets and more information on his sprawling fall and winter tour, visit billystrings.com.
Read on for the complete setlist from Friday night.
A post shared by Billy Strings (@billystrings)
Billy Strings
Gainbridge Fieldhouse – Indianapolis
10/11/24
Set I: Leaning on a Travelin’ Song+, Taking Water, Running, While I’m Waiting Here, Run Down, Pretty Daughter, Richard Petty*, Freedom*, Gone A Long Time, Love Like Me, Highway Hypnosis
Set II: Malfunction Junction+, Secrets, Be Your Man, Everything’s The Same, Fire Line, Thirst Mutilator, Hollow Heart, Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You+, Brain Damage , Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow, With A Vamp In The Middle, Wargasm, Doin’ My Time
Encore: Going To The Races#
Notes:
+ Live debut
* Band minus Alex around single mic front of stage
# Last Time Played 2021-08-28 | 310 Shows
Setlist via billybase.net
The post Billy Strings Brings Live Debuts, Covers and a Bust-out to Night One in Indianapolis appeared first on Relix Media.
