Watch: Billy Strings Kicks Off Summer Tour from Grand Rapids, Michigan

Photo credit: Stevo Rood

Last night, May 30, Billy Strings returned to the Great Lakes State to set off his summer tour with two stagings at Grand Rapids, Mich.’s Van Andel Arena. Following his eight-show stint with Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival, which brought such unforgettable moments as collaborations with Micah Nelson on “Wild Horses” and Bob Dylan on “All Allong the Watchtower,” the bluegrass golden boy’s hometown kickoff was an action-packed, high-spirited affair that showcased the bandleader’s versatility and quick-picking prowess.

Strings rolled into his two-set engagement with a run through his Renewal original “The Fire on My Tongue,” the first of six tracks from his 2021 project featured in the evening’s setlist. Billy and his trusty band of banjoist Billy Failing, fiddler Alex Hargreaves, bassist Royal Masat and mandolinist Jarrod Walker followed this momentum into the evening’s first heavily segued section, stringing together “Hide and Seek,” “Pyramid Country” and the Doc Watson-associated “My Love Come Rolling Down.” Following treatments of the Bad Livers and Jimi Hendrix, the quintet encircled a single microphone at center stage and worked their way to the first frame’s finale with “Freedom,” Bill Monroe’s “Close By” and the traditional “Sally Johnson,” then sped off into the setbreak with the Highway Prayers album closer “Richard Petty.”

Billy and the band built steam into the second set with “In the Clear,” then merged into the longtime fan favorite “Everything’s the Same.” Shortly after, Strings’ collaborators fell back to leave him in the spotlight for a solo clawhammer banjo rendition of The Hill Billies’ “Georgia Buck,” complete with a cheeky tease of Slayer’s “Raining Blood” at its intro. Back on his guitar, the bluegrass dynamo kept on after this show of his diverse interests and skillset for a solo return to “Cocaine Blues,” which hadn’t made it to the stage since August 2024, and a proper bust-out of the traditional “Salt Creek,” which he’d played last in October 2023.

With one last round of setlist staples like “Red Daisy,” “Hellbender” and “Heartbeat of America,” Strings closed the second set with “Dust in a Baggie,” then sent the crowd off into the night with an encore of “Wait a Minute” and “Roll On Buddy, Roll On.” Tonight, he’ll return to the arena for another sold-out show; fans who missed out on tickets can tune in for the free livestream via nugs.net.

Following his Michigan series, Strings will hit the road again for 23 further summer tour stops through Aug. 23, including his four-show excursion to Australia and New Zealand and his special guest spot for Dead & Company’s 60th anniversary celebration of the Grateful Dead. Find tickets and more information at billystrings.com.