Billy Strings Pays Homage to Late Singer-Songwriter Todd Snider, Debuts “Play a Train Song” in Newark
Photo: A Rood
On Friday, November 14, Billy Strings arrived at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., for the first of two Fall Tour concerts at the indoor arena. Night one glinted with a sense of psychedelia, a demonstrated willingness to push and to produce compositions beyond the ordinary, entice the audience, and keep them on their feet till night two. While the first performance sparked a sense of playfulness, Saturday’s follow-up came from the heart and started with a debut in honor of singer-songwriter Todd Snider, who passed away at age 59.
The two-night series got underway with Strings, Billy Failing, Alex Hargreaves, Royal Masat, and Jarrod Walker delivering “I’m One of Those.” The newer number came before Jim Croce’s “Age” and the Doc Watson-associated “St. Louis Blues,” which followed the regulatory trend of positioning original music alongside select cover songs. After turning in renditions of their own “Hellbender” and “Escanaba,” the group produced a head-spinning “Highway Hypnosis,” the type of entry that keeps comments coming and fans fixated.
The second set was a similar assembly of songs, covers, and originals, beginning with the Highway Prayers’ featured “Leadfoot,” which found Strings on Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo and Failing handling guitar. The number mentioned prior kicked off a sequence of numbers from the band’s latest studio album, before a pick up of “Sally Johnson.” After submitting “Love and Regret” and “Dust in a Baggie,” they began a nonstop series that included “Leaders” > Black Sabbath’s “Planet Caravan” > “Spinning” > Failing’s “So Many Miles” before adding a final notch, “Everything’s The Same.”
The Sabbath cover and “Spinning” received particular fan praise, ahead of the night’s finale, a two-song encore that consisted of Hartford’s “With A Vamp in The Middle” and New Grass Revival’s “This Heart of Mine.” Night two took on a different tone than the first, as word of Snider’s passing spread. Recognizing the moment and the musician’s influence, Strings began his concert with a debut, “Play a Train Song.” The track was a feature from Snider’s own bank of originals and 2004 LP East Nashville Skyline, and a well-received introduction to their second night on the Prudential Center stage.
Following up after the tribute, the ensemble went with “The Fire On My Tongue,” conjoined with The Delmore Brothers’ “Midnight Train.” In time, Strings and company returned to Widespread Panic’s “All Time Low” for the first time in 50 shows, ending a gap that goes back to May 25, 2025. The group’s performance of ‘Till The Medicine Takes favorite set up frame one’s four-piece emphasis on originals, “Running,” “Gild the Lily,” “Seven Weeks in The Country,” and “Away From the Mire.”
A solo Strings stepped out and performed his own “Catch and Release” and another from the Delmore Brothers, “Brown’s Ferry Blues.” He traded out his guitar for the banjo on the Doc Watson release “Georgia Buck,” before inviting his band back for a pairing of “Pyramid Country” into “Know It All.” Highway Prayers features “My Alice” and “Be Your Man,” which came ahead of the Watsons’ “I’m A Natural Born Gambling Man” before the final stretch of set two brought forth originals.
For Strings’ Newark close-out, he returned to Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho & Lefty” for the first time since October 4, 2023, ending a 167-performance gap. For the final delivery, the group inserted the Jimmy Martin-released “Tennessee,” which, whether intentional or not, served as a final ode to Snider and his musical association with the region.
After turning in two nights in Newark, the band will take their Fall Tour to the KFC Yum! Arena for two nights, Dec. 5-6. Both shows are sold out.
Billy Strings
Prudential Center – Newark
Nov. 14, 2025
Set I: I’m One Of Those Age St. Louis Blues It Ain’t Before Hellbender Escanaba Highway Hypnosis Show Me The Door Little Maggie Harbor of Love Red Daisy Libby Phillips Rag End Of The Rainbow
Set II: Leadfoot1 Don’t Be Calling Me (at 4 AM) Seney Stretch Sally Johnson Love and Regret Dust In A Baggie Leaders Planet Caravan Spinning So Many Miles Everything’s The Same
Enc.: With A Vamp In The Middle, This Heart Of Mine
Notes:
- Billy Strings on his Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo & Billy Failing on Guitar
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Billy Strings
Prudential Center – Newark
Nov. 15, 2025
Set I: Play A Train Song1,2 The Fire On My Tongue Midnight Train Heartbeat Of America In The Morning Light All Time Low3 Running Gild the Lily Seven Weeks in County Away From The Mire
Set II: Catch and Release4 Brown’s Ferry Blues4 Georgia Buck5 Pyramid Country Know It All My Alice Be Your Man I’m a Natural Born Gamblin’ Man Charlie’s Birthday Breakdown This Old World Love Like Me Hide and Seek
Enc.: Pancho & Lefty6 Tennessee
Notes:
- FTP – Todd Snider
- Todd Snider, who was a prolific singer-songwriter well known in the East Nashville music scene, passed away on Nov. 14
- Last Time Played 2025-05-25 | 50 show gap
- Billy Strings solo
- Billy Strings solo on clawhammer banjo
- Last Time Played 2023-10-04 | 167 show gap
All notes via billybase.net
