Watch: Billy Strings Debuts Masterful Cover of David Grisman’s “Dawg’s Rag” at Intimate Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver

Photo: Stevo Rood

On Wednesday evening, Billy Strings took the stage at the intimate 990-capacity Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, B.C. After settling into the location on Tuesday evening, performing the first concert in a two-night run, the band was back and primed for their Rain City finale. Last night’s performance saw the bluegrass ensemble pay homage to an influential figure of the genre and Strings’ own career, David Grisman, by putting on a masterclass in regulated mayhem, during the finger-pickin’ debut of instrumental, “Dawg’s Rag.” 

Before submitting their adept entry of “Dawg’s Rag,” Strings, Billy Failing (vocals, banjo), Jarrod Walker (vocals, mandolin), Royal Masat (vocals, bass), and Alex Hargreaves (fiddle), settled into a crop of original songs; “I’m One Of Those,” “Turmoil & Tinfoil,” “Happy Hollow” and “Love and Regret.” The initial path carved out an entry for a cover of Frank Wakefield’s “End of the Rainbow,” which ultimately submerged into the night’s debut. 

The arrival of “Dawg’s Rag” signaled much more than just a nod to the bluegrass canon; it elicited a playback to March 2025, when Strings and Hargreaves joined Sam Grisman, Dominick Leslie, and Ron McCoury for Dawg 80, at Seattle’s Moore Theatre, in celebration of the virtuoso mandolinist’s birthday. The experience informed Strings’ approach during last night’s concert, which represented the first time he and his ensemble played from the beloved tune. 

“Dawg’s Rag” assumed the sixth slot during the first set of Wednesday night’s concert, and was a tried and true showcase in mastering instrumental communication, anticipation in each player’s movement, and interplay in consideration of the cat and mouse chase of guitar, mandolin, stand-up bass, and fiddle. Fast and fierce, complicated and intentional, the song was a crowning achievement of the night, and a thoughtful debut considering the Pacific Northwest location and proximity to the musician’s Washington residence.

Watch a video of the debut below.

Billy Strings 

Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, B.C.

August 20, 2025

Set I: I’m One Of Those, Turmoil & Tinfoil, Happy Hollow, Love and Regret, End Of The Rainbow > Dawg’s Rag1, Watch It Fall, The Fire On My Tongue> My Sweet Blue Eyed Darling

Set II: Leaning on a Travelin’ Song, Don’t Let the Sunshine Fool Ya, On The Line> Train 45, Away From The Mire, Back In Yonder’s World2, Long Forgotten Dream, All Of Tomorrow

Show Me The Door, Kentucky Mandolin> Run Down, Miss The Mississippi And You, Meet Me At The Creek, Sophronie

Notes: 

1. FTP – The David Grisman Quintet
2. Last Time Played 2020-01-08 | 470 show gap

Setlist and notes via billybase.net.