The twang of bluegrass emanated from South Pearl Street on Wednesday, November 12, with Billy Strings bringing his Fall Tour through the Capital Region for his first headlining gig in Albany. Following a thunderous Veteran’s Day in Rochester, MVP Arena was alive and packed with a wide array of music fans coming together from across the region, as well as those following the tour that kicked off in Baltimore on Halloween.
Having only played once in Albany back in 2018 – an opening gig for fellow Michiganders Greensky Bluegrass – the announcement of a show at MVP Arena, let alone selling out the venue, came as a welcome surprise to local fans. The packed mid-week show in Downtown Albany brought together fans from the jam and country scenes, as well as those curious to see what the country/bluegrass/jam phenomenon would bring to the stage this evening.
Amid the two dozen songs performed this evening was a unique opening as the band (Billy Failing (banjo), Royal Masat (bass), Jarrod Walker (mandolin) and Alex Hargreaves (fiddle)) assembled around a single mic at the front of the stage for “Richard Petty,” an acapella number providing some enlightenment to start the night. “Happy Hollow” continued with the band around the mic, with “Malfunction Junction” the first full band song of the evening, capping off a trio of Highway Prayers tracks to kick off the show.
A step back into bluegrass history followed with Jim & Jesse and The Virginia Boys’ “Airmail Special,” followed by the meat of the set – “While I’m Waiting Here,” “Enough To Leave” and “In the Clear” satisfying the dancing needs of the crowd antsy to boogie down.
Then, from the lip of the stage, Strings sat down with acoustic guitar in hand for a pair of very old numbers – “Matty Groves” and “Country Blues” – the former dating back to 17th century England (and popularized in America by Doc Watson), and the latter nearly a century old itself, written by “Dock” Boggs. This is one of the best parts of Billy Strings shows – a deep catalog of traditional songs that are all but forgotten to time, resurrected either solo or with the full band, connecting audiences to music of years past. Such was the case with the pickin’ on display during “Sally Goodin,” originally performed by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs with the Foggy Mountain Boys in the early 1960s.
Following a short “Secret,” the ever popular “Meet Me at the Creek” closed the set with a 18+ minute jam-heavy version that saw Strings heading off stage and right into the thick of the crowd, in an attempt to encourage fans to create a mosh pit. Instead, fans had their phones out to capture the legend walking amongst them, marveling in the sudden presence of one Mr. William Apostol, man of the people, before he retreated to the stage to bring “Creek” to a powerful ending.
Set two began with Home original “Guitar Peace” before shifting into a much more familiar cover, “Fearless” by Pink Floyd, the acoustic guitar playing making for a unique version of the Meddle track. Then the first heavy hitter of the set appeared in the form of “Turmoil & Tinfoil,” the band delivering an energetic rendition that built into a psychedelic froth, giving way to “Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You.”
Two songs from early on in Strings’ own catalog – “All of Tomorrow” and “Bronzeback” – followed, with Red Allen and The Kentuckians’ “Hello, City Limits” bridging the gap to a hot trio of songs, “Fire Line” > “Thirst Mutilator” > “Cabin Song.” Closing the set were the newer “10,000 Miles From A Friend” and another track off Highway Prayers, “The Beginning of the End.”
For an encore, the band once again crowded around a lone microphone, this time for “Freedom”, penned by Strings and Nashville rising star Lindsay Lou. Wrapping up the night from the edge of the stage, Billy Strings and compatriots stood next to each other, basking in the white light and adulation from the crowd, who cheered on the arrival of arena-level bluegrass to the Capital
Billy Strings | November 12, 2025 | MVP Arena | Albany, NY
Setlist via BillyBase
Set 1: Richard Petty [1], Happy Hollow [2], Malfunction Junction > Animal Special, While I’m Waiter Here, Enough to Leave, In the Clear, Matty Groves [3], Country Blues [4], Sally Goodin > Secrets, Meet Me At The Creek [5].
Set 2: Guitar Peace > Fearless,Turmoil & Tinfoil, Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You6, All Of Tomorrow, Bronzeback, Hello, City Limits, Fire Line > Thirst Mutilator > Cabin Song, 10,000 Miles From A Friend, The Beginning of the End
Encore: Freedom2
1 Full band (minus Alex) around single mic
2 Full band around single mic
3 Billy Strings solo
4 Billy Strings solo on clawhammer banjo
5 Billy Strings left the stage and entered the crowd continuing to play
6 Billy Strings on a Martin Grand J-28E, Royal Masat on a Nord Stage 3 88-Key Keyboard & Billy Failing on Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo
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