Last night, Wednesday, April 8, Billy Strings arrived at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla., to deliver the fourth installment of his ongoing Spring Tour. Prior to hitting the road, the fast-fingered picker made it known that he and his band put in hours at the studio in preparation for their next album, which, in turn, has informed first-time setlist additions at each one of their resulting performances, including the latest midweek entry. 

Wednesday night’s two-set concert featured specialty moments that functioned like engravings on a stone wall: testaments to the musicians’ growth as independent artists and visionaries of the bluegrass movement. After previously pulling the sheet back and unveiling new material during their St. Augustine kick-off, the bandleader maintained the same tenacity and awe by introducing the audience to “Just A Rambler.”

The first-time original arrived during the latter half of set one and was positioned after  “Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You,” and before the final run through of selections; a standalone “All Fall Down,” and ensuing stream of “One The Line” > “Train 45” > “Ruby,” played without pause. After the set break, the bandleader arrived on stage solo, delivering “Brown’s Ferry Blues” and “Catch and Release,” before the rest of the band rejoined him. 

In addition to debuts, last night’s concert also saw a return to Bill Monroe’s “The Gold Rush,” which was played for the first time since Aug. 24, 2024, ending a 121-show gap. The revived tune opened up a batch of choice numbers, including “Ole Slew Foot,” “Thirst Mutilator,” “Running,” and “Leaders.” For their next move, Strings passed the baton to Jarrod Walker, who took the reins and led the group through his own first-time original, “Nighthawk.” [Read about Walker’s solo tour here.]

Before concluding the event, the band blew smoke into the Willie Nelson co-write “California Sober,” ahead of Greensky Bluegrass’ “Reverend.” The final section of the set was reserved for a colossal “Meet Me At The Creek” > “Thunder” > “Meet Me At The Creek,” which gained huge praise from attendees. 

After last night’s concert, the band will take Thursday off before their ensuing two-night stay at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Ga. Tickets remain on sale for Friday, April 10; Saturday’s show is sold out. For more information, visit www.billystrings.com/tour. 

Scroll down to watch the fan-shot video. 

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Billy Strings 

Benchmark International Arena – Tampa, Fla.

April 8, 2026 

Set I: Red Daisy, Living Like An Animal, Crossing Muddy Waters, Cabin Song, Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You1, Just A Rambler2, All Fall Down, On The Line > Train 45 > Ruby

Set II: Brown’s Ferry Blues3, Catch and Release3, Dos Banjos4, The Gold Rush5 > Ole Slew Foot, Thirst Mutilator > Running, Leaders, Nighthawk6, 7, California Sober, Reverend, Meet Me At The Creek > Thunder >Meet Me At The Creek

Notes:

1. Billy Strings on a Martin Grand J-28E, Royal Masat on a Nord Stage 3 88-Key Keyboard & Billy Failing on Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo
2. FTP – Original
3. Billy Strings solo
4. Dos Billys (Billy Strings on clawhammer banjo and Billy Failing on banjo)
5. Last Time Played 2024-08-24 | 121 show gap
6. FTP – Jarrod Walker Original
7. Jarrod Walker on lead vocals

Setlist and notes via billybase.net.