Live music review: Billy Strings thrilled fans at the Long Center

Luck Reunion and the Long Center for Performing Arts hosted 2021 Grammy-winning bluegrass artist, Billy Strings on Sunday. The performance took place on the Long Center lawn with the Austin skyline and Auditorium Shores serving as a picturesque backdrop for Billy Strings’ electrifying “bluegrass on acid” brand of music.

The sold-out show with a socially distanced, limited live audience of approximately 350 fans included a wide swath of Grateful Dead and similarly minded jam band fans. Billy Strings and his band did not disappoint those fans, finishing the show with a set list of 15 cover songs, three of those, Jerry Garcia, Grateful Dead and Peter Rowan songs that often found their way into past Dead set lists.

The Long Center couldn’t have ordered up better weather on a perfect Spring day that got plenty of Austin residents out of their homes to enjoy the nice vibes last Sunday. Soccer games, cyclists and park goers enjoyed themselves across the street at Auditorium Shores. The Billy Strings show was the second in a brief series of concerts organized by The Long Center and co-produced by the good folks at Luck Reunion . The performance was branded with the theme, Long Live Music. Patty Griffin and Carrie Rodriguez played the same venue Saturday evening to launch the series. The remaining dates feature Nikki Lane and Jade Bird with Sir Woman on April 3 and Blind Boys of Alabama April 4.

The band played a long series of shot on location, live stream performances including Friday evening’s The SIMS Foundation live stream benefit from ACL Live leading into Sunday’s gig. Billy Strings and his band looked elated to be on stage in front of a live audience for the first time since a three-night run of shows in St. Augustine, Florida back in March. They were ready to showcase their new set list in Austin where most of the band’s management team resides. The band looked clearly pleased to be playing live shows again.

The group led off with their own, “Red Daisy,” a new song that made it’s first appearance in their set back in February when Billy Strings was performing a slate of live streamed shows from the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY to commemorate the Grateful Dead’s appearances there 50 years ago. As such, Strings introduced new Dead covers that also made their way into Sunday’s Austin show.

Strings followed up that set opener with Doc Watson Family band tune, “Way Downtown.” The party really got going midway through the first set when the band played “Hellbender” and “Wargasm,” two new songs that fans really respond to. The songs display the full force of the band, featuring not only Strings’ mind-blowing flatpicking skills on guitar, the tracks also highlight the prodigious skill of Jerrod Walker (mandolin) and Billy Failing (banjo).

The band circled back around to Doc Watson, covering the appropriately selected, “Texas Gales” before winding up the set with  fine cover of “Doin’ My Time” (Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs). Upright bassist, Royal Masat and Walker really shined during this number. It seemed as though the tempo kept increasing as the tune went on.

The second set was for the many Deadheads who came out for the show. The band picked up the pace and got more psychedelic as the show approached 4:20 p.m. After leading off with Strings’ songs, “Taking Water” into “Ice Bridges” the group switched gears and launched into a blissful Grateful Dead associated section of the show. The first strains of Jerry Garcia’s “Loser” prompted loud cheers from the spinning hippies. Strings’ take on the classic Garcia song was impressive with Strings displaying his chops on his trusty Preston Thomson custom acoustic as deftly as the man who wrote it.

The band took a brief departure from the Dead theme to play Earl Scrugg’s “Ground Speed.” Then they did bluegrass justice to the John Hartford tune, “All Fall Down” before seguing into Grateful Dead set list favorite, “Slipknot” which flowed seamlessly into Peter Rowan’s “Midnite Moonlight.”

The spectacular display of bluegrass might ended with a two-song encore. Strings played a ripping version of the Grateful Dead song, “Devil in a Sleeping Bag” (see clip below) before winding up with Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” which got everyone in the crowd up and dancing. Fans let us know the song has been requested on Strings’ many trips to Texas and this was the first time he’d obliged. The hardcore fans were elated. We appreciated the gesture just as much. Who wouldn’t? It’s Willie, right?

Billy Strings has announced a limited number of tour dates throughout the Southeast this year plus three sold-out dates in Denver in October.

All photos: Suzanne Cordeiro

Please follow and like us: