photo by Madison Dodd

Billy Strings returned to the stage on Friday night to resume his residency in Asheville, N.C. After setting off the second stop on his Winter Tour with engagements on Tuesday and Wednesday, and unveiling his inaugural Ionia Freak Fair on Thursday, the Strings’ third show at ExploreAsheville.com Arena featured a few unexpected tracks, one of which recognized the city’s folk history.

Strings commenced his stand on Friday night with the five-year fan-favorite “The Fire on My Tongue,” bridged deftly into 2026’s first treatment of “Bronzeback.” As has become a staple of his routing through the Tar Heel State, the bluegrass firebrand honored the enduring influence of North Carolina native Doc Watson with a fistful of associated covers, beginning with the classic “Red Rocking Chair.” Other Watson homages in the first set rolled in with “Shady Grove,” “The Cuckoo” and a medley of “The Train That Carried My Girl From Town” and “Black Mountain Rag,” scattered among essential originals like “My Alice” and “Living Like An Animal” before a set-closer of “Raleigh & Spencer.”

To open up his second set, Strings turned to the traditional “Swannanoa Tunnel,” a well-documented work song from the 1800s that chronicles the perilous construction of the Western North Carolina Railroad’s hand-dug tunnel to Asheville. Strings debuted the track at a duo show with Asheville’s own Bryan Sutton back in 2020, then delivered its second and most recent presentation at ExploreAsheville.com Arena in February of 2024. Shortly after unearthing the intro, Strings dug up another rare cut with the traditional “Done Gone,” last played in June 2025.

After another tribute to Watson with “My Love Come Rolling Down,” Strings honored another formative influence with his first treatment of Willie Nelson’s “Blackjack County Chains” since June 2025. A string of critical hits like “Tennessee Stud” and “Hellbender” pulled Billy and the band to a grand finale of “Drifter’s Escape.” A roaring encore of “Leadfoot” left the crowd with high expectations for the series’ final show tonight.

Find tickets and more information on Strings’ Winter Tour at billystrings.com. Read Strings’ recent Relix Cover feature here.