Billy Strings Nods to David “Dawg” Grisman with Two Covers, Performs “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” Encore in Proximity of The Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa

Photo: Dana Trippe

Billy Strings spent his Wednesday evening on stage at the BOK Center in Tulsa. The concert arrived on the heels of the maestro and his band’s debut appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk, where they performed originals, reflected on the program’s influence, and made mention of Strings’ initial audition before receiving the official invite to participate in the YouTube streaming standard. Last night’s concert continued that momentum by showcasing pieces from their self-penned collection while leaving space for complementary covers that drew on their musical influences.

The concert began with a piece from Highway Prayers, a delivery of “Happy Hollow,” before the first in what would become two odes to mandolin legend, David “Dawg” Grisman on “Sugar Hill Ramble.” Rather than stack their praise, the band held off on the secondary cover, saving it for later and instead producing “Nothing’s Working,” off Renewal. “Pyramid Country” fused with “Must Be Seven,” before a complete band retrieval of Jimmie Skinner’s “Doin’ My Time.”

Next, Strings began a two-part solo delivery, consisting of a nod to the Delmore Brothers on “Brown’s Ferry Blues” and “Dock” Boggs on “Country Blues.” Leaving the mood behind, he welcomed Billy Failings for a banjo face-off, “Dos Banjos,” which was capped by a full band return for “She Left Me Standing On The Mountain.” Considering the altitude of the latter, the five-piece took it closer to the cosmos on “Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You,” and followed with “Love Like Me” and “Highway Hypnosis” to close the set. 

The group returned to the stage for the concert’s second half, only this time Strings carried the banjo and Failing worked the guitar on “Leadfoot.” Back on their expected instruments, the group pursued “Secrets,” Doc Watson-released “Walk On Boy” and their Home cuts, “Enough to Leave,” plus “Hollow Heart.” Traditional “Sally Johnson” brought out the best of Alex Heargraves’ talents on the old-time fiddle tune, before a take on Johnny Rivers’ “Wait a Minute.” 

On the other side of the song, also released by Seldom Scene, the band summoned “End of the Rainbow,” which merged into the evening’s second nod to Grisman on his self-titled instrumental, “Dawg’s Rag.” They tacked on four originals: “Doin’ Things Right,” “In The Clear,” “Leaders,” and “Wargasm,” which, upon completion, represented the finality of set two. The night’s encore began with a cover of the Bob Dylan-associated “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” in the same city that the Minnesota-bred bard’s The Bob Dylan Center is located. 

After paying homage to Dylan, who Strings joined during the Outlaw Music Festival stop in Spokane, Wash., on May 22, 2025, for “All Along the Watchtower,” the band pulled out their final Tulsa tune, a take on the Watson-arranged “Steamline Cannonball.” 

Next, Strings and company will pull through the Lone Star State, delivering three concerts before calling the year a success and taking a break for the holidays.

Billy Strings 

BOK Center – Tulsa 

Dec. 10, 2025 

Set I: Happy Hollow, Sugar Hill Ramble, Nothing’s Working, Pyramid Country > Must Be Seven, Doin’ My Time, Brown’s Ferry Blues1, Country Blues2, Dos Banjos3, She Left Me Standing on the Mountain, Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You4, Love Like Me, Highway Hypnosis

Set II: Leadfoot5, Secrets, Walk On Boy, Enough To Leave, Hollow Heart, Sally Johnson, Wait a Minute, End Of The Rainbow > Dawg’s Rag, Doin’ Things Right, In the Clear, Leaders, Wargasm

Enc.: Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright, Streamline Cannonball

Notes: 

​​Billy Strings solo

1. Billy Strings solo on clawhammer banjo
2. Dos Billys (Billy Strings on clawhammer banjo and Billy Failing on banjo)
3. 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
4. Billy Strings on his Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo & Billy Failing on Guitar

Setlist and notes via billybase.net.