Billy Strings, Bryan Sutton and Royal Masat Celebrate Traditional Bluegrass Music and Genre Veterans on Night Two at the Woodward Theatre
Photo: Stevo Rood
On Saturday, Sept. 6, Billy Strings, Bryan Sutton and Royal Masat returned to the Woodward Theatre in Owensboro, Ky., for their second and final appearance at the intimate 450-seat venue inside the Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Museum. During the two-set offering, the three-piece paid homage to the genre’s torchbearers with select covers, including a plethora of material featured on Strings and Sutton’s Live at The Legion release.
As mentioned, material from Strings and Sutton’s live album accounted for much of the concert’s makeup, including their initial offering, traditional, and subsequent Me/And/Dad crossover, “Way Downtown.” Like the intent of the previous night’s concert, the ensemble pulled out “Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor” and “Nashville Blues,” tunes associated with Doc Watson’s live archive. The motif continued with “Bill Cheatham,” the night’s initial bust out, last played on December 13, 2023.
Without pause, the trio moved into “Big Sandy River,” a tune synonymous with Bill Monroe’s live repertoire. The tune represented another bust out for Strings, last performed on December 29, 2023. Its arrival ended a 117-show gap. Sutton sang lead during the follow-up, “Solid Gone,” and other set one featured songs such as Townes Van Zandt’s “If I Need You,” Watson-released “The Old Home,” and the traditional “Darling Corey.”
The onset of the second set saw Strings and Sutton step out as a duo. This time, Sutton traded his guitar for the mandolin, and the pair dueted another traditional song with deep bluegrass roots and Monroe/Watson association, “What Does thee Deep Sea Say?,” which paved the way for “Watson Blues,” which received the same two-person sung treatment.
Masat returned to his position, adding a rich tone to the web of cover songs and a rare original, the Turmoil & Tinfoil cut, co-written by Sutton, “Salty Sheep,” which was played for the first time since October 1, 2023. The concert struck a clear throughline with the choice material, nodding to the bluegrass tradition and the makeup of Strings, Sutton, and Masat’s joint passion for the genre, and its adept contributors.
Following the two-night start of Strings, Sutton and Masat’s joint run, the trio will break before resuming their tour over two evenings, September 11 and 12, at Shaefer Center for the Performing Arts in Boone, N.C. These concerts are sold out.
For more information, visit www.billystrings.com/tour.
Billy Strings & Bryan Sutton with Royal Masat
Woodward Theatre – Owensville, Ky.
Sept. 6, 2025
Set I: Way Downtown,Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor,Nashville Blues,Bill Cheatham1 Big Sandy River2 ,Solid Gone3,Blue Railroad Train,If I Needed You3,Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette,The Old Home3,Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright,Darling Corey3,Open Up Them Pearly Gates
Set II: What Does The Deep Sea Say?3,4 Watson Blues4 Hold That Woodpile Down Little Darling Pal Of Mine3 Salty Sheep5 Miss The Mississippi And You Talking to Casey Poor Boy Blues Sleep, Baby, Sleep Streamline Cannonball3 South Coast The House Carpenter The Train That Carried My Girl From Town3 Black Mountain Rag Summertime Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar3
Notes:
- Last Time Played 2023-12-13 | 120 show gap
- Last Time Played 2023-12-29 | 117 show gap
- Bryan Sutton on lead vocals
- Duet w/ Billy Strings on guitar and Bryan Sutton on mandolin
- Last Time Played 2023-10-01 | 144 show gap
Setlist and notes via billybase.net.
