Billy Strings Wraps Halloween ‘Wizard Of Oz’ Run in Asheville

Photo by Jesse Faatz // Via Billy Strings’ IG

Billy String wrapped a three-night Wizard Of Oz-themed Halloween run in Asheville, N.C. at the ExploreAshville.com Arena on Sunday with an abundance of cover songs and debuts.  

Dressed as the cast of the Wizard of Oz, with Strings as the Scarecrow, banjoist Billy Failing as Dorthy, mandolinist Jarod Walker as the Tin Man and bassist Royal Masat as the Cowardly Lion, the cast of characters broke into Judy Garland’s “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” during their first set on Friday, Oct. 29 and followed with Frank Wakefield’s “End of The Rainbow.” 

The second set kicked off with The String Cheese Incident’s “Black Clouds,” and also included covers of Robert Hunter’s “Thunder” and a Pink Floyd ender off the legendary The Dark Side of the Moon LP, “Brain Damage.” 

Saturday’s show began with two songs off Strings’ fifth studio album Renewal, including “This Old World” and “In The Morning Light” followed by the traditional tune, “Little Maggie.” During the second set, Strings debuted covers of Jack Haley’s “If I Only Had a Brain,” and “If I Only Had a Heart,” along with Bing Crosby, Bob Hope & Judy Garland’s “If I Only Had The Nerve” as odes to the band’s Wizard Of Oz getup. 

Later in the set, the band debuted a cover of The Beatles’ “I’m So Tired” and wrapped the show with The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s “Castles Made of Sand” as an encore. 

Sunday’s performance opened with a debut cover of The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and closed with another debut, this time The Doors’ “Five to One.” The second set wrapped with a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Brokedown Palace” followed by the traditional track “Long Journey Home.”

Concert-goers received a special double encore on Halloween night, including Billy String’s title track “Home” followed by a debut cover of Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” a fitting ending to a festive weekend. 

Billy Strings 
ExploreAshville.com Arena- Asheville, N.C. 
Oct. 29, 2021

Set I: Red Wing, Fire on My Tongue > Must Be Seven, Ready For The Times To Get Better, Over The Rainbow, End of The Rainbow, Ice Bridges, Everything’s The Same > Pyramid Country > Running, Highway Hypnosis 

Set II: Black Clouds > Thunder > Ride Me High > Hide & Seek > Spinning > Brain Damage 

Billy Strings
ExploreAshville.com Arena- Asheville, N.C. 
Oct. 30, 2021

Set I: This Old World, In the Morning Light, Little Maggie, On the Line > Ruby Are You Mad, Enough to Leave, I’m Still Here, Running the Route, Know It All, The Likes of Me, Pyramid Country

Set II: Pyramid Country (Reprise), Gold Rush > June Apple > How Mountain Girls Can Love, If I Only Had a Heart, Hollow Heart, If I Only Had The Nerve, Courage For The Road, I’m So Tired, Let The Cocaine Be, Ernest T. Grass, Show Me The Door, Away From The Mire

Enc: Castles Made Of Sand

Billy Strings
ExploreAshville.com Arena- Asheville, N.C. 
Oct. 31, 2021

Set I: You Can’t Always Get What You Want, Nothing’s Working, Meet Me at the Creek, The First Whippoorwill, Samson and Delilah, Ole Slew-Foot > Five to One

Set II: Taking Water, Doin’ Things Right, I’ll Remember You, Love, in my Prayers, Crown of Thorns > This Heart of Mine, Love Like Me, New Country Blues, Brokedown Palace, Long Journey Home

Enc I: Home

Enc II: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Notes

Friday’s show cover debuts: Kerry Mills “Red Wing,” Crystal Gayle “Ready For The Times To Get Better,” Judy Garland “Over The Rainbow,” Pink Floyd “Brain Damage” 

Saturday’s show cover debuts: Ray Bolger and Judy Garland “If I Only Had a Brain,” Jack Haley “If I Only Had a Heart,” Bing Crosby, Bob Hope & Judy Garland “If I Only Had the Nerve,” Green Sky Bluegrass “Courage For The Road,” The Beatles “I’m So Tired,” The Jimi Hendrix Experience “Castles Made of Sand” 

Sunday’s show cover debuts: The Rolling Stones “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” Traditional “Samson and Delilah,” The Doors “Five to One,” Elton John “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”   

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