Billy Strings Rolls Through Montana on Summer Tour, Resuscitate Covers in Bozeman and Missoula
Photo: Steveo Rood
Billy Strings’ Summer Tour proceeded West over the weekend, pausing at two stops in Big Sky Country, Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman, Mont., on Friday, August 15, and the Adams Center in Missoula, Mont., on August 16. During both occasions, the four-piece ensemble paid homage to classics from the bluegrass catalog, in traditional style, which required the assembly around a single mic in practice of the old school approach. As another threaded connection between gigs, both included revived material that had previously been put on pause, in addition to playful teases that kept attendees on their toes and guessing as to what the band’s next move would bring.
Rather than pull from his bank of originals, Strings positioned the Mel Tillis-penned, Doc Watson-released “Walk On, Boy” in slot one of the Montana opener, before pulling in Highway Prayers’ “Cabin Song.” The group moved into Bill Monroe’s “Blue Grass Breakdown” without pause, prior to a standstill, “This Old World.” With full force, they proceeded by picking up a series of fauna features, which rolled one into the next: “Away From the Mire,” traditional “The Cuckoo,” and back to “Away From the Mire,” before breaking into “Living Like an Animal.” Eventually, “Doin’ Things Right” presented a tease of Jimi Hendrix’s “Third Stone from the Sun” before the band broke into intermission.
Set two resumed the animal theme on “Groundhog,” delivered by a solo Strings, who kept up the format through the delivery of Dock Boggs’ “Country Blues” on the banjo. Alex Hargreaves (fiddle) and Jarrod Walker (bass) took a seat beside Strings, still on the clawhammer, for a single mic take on traditional “Jeff Sturgeon.” The fiddle tune hadn’t been played since Dec. 13, 2024, same as the follow-up, “Look Up, Look Down at Lonesome Road.”
Before ending their time in Bozeman, the band situated a tease of The Infamous Stringdusters’ “Fork in the Road” in “Sally Goodin.” During the night’s encore, they revived Ray G. Park’s state naming, “Montana Cowboy,” for the first time since August 9, 2022, ending a 260-show performance gap. During their Saturday night follow-up on August 16 at the Adams Center in Missoula, Mont., Strings and company revived the Watson-released “Bye Bye Blues” for the first time since Feb. 28, 2020, effectively closing a 452-show gap.
Following a similar path as the group’s Bozeman appearance, they took their positions around a single mic during Clinch Mountain Boys’ “The Lonesome River” and “Richard Petty.” The tempo shifted with the arrival of “Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You” and remained so till the set break. Upon their return to the stage for the second half of their Missoula gig, “Fire Line” opened the frame, with a tease of Tool’s “Vicarious.”
After traditional, “Reuben’s Train,” the band ran through originals before knocking into Watson-associated “My Love Come Rolling Down,” which merged into “Pyramid Country” and, eventually, the first “Spinning” since Dec. 12, 2024. “Leadfoot” served as the encore prelude, arriving before the final number of their Montana run, a cover of “Salty Dog Blues,” cementing a call to blues-mentioned songs.
Tomorrow night, Strings will arrive at the 990-capacity Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, B.C. This concert is sold out.
Scroll down to view the setlists from this past weekend in Montana.
Billy Strings
Brick Breeden Fieldhouse – Bozeman, Mont.
August 15, 2025
Set I: Walk On Boy, Cabin Song, Blue Grass Breakdown, This Old World, Away From The Mire > The Cuckoo > Away From The Mire, Living Like An Animal, New Country Blues1, 10,000 Miles From A Friend, Four Sticks > Doin’ Things Right2
Set II: Groundhog3, Country Blues4, Jeff Sturgeon5,6, Look Up Look Down That Lonesome Road7,8,9, Leaning on a Travelin’ Song, I’m Still Here, Running, Sally Goodin, Secrets, Doin’ My Time, Leaders, Wargasm
Enc.: Montana Cowbow10, 11, Freeborn Man
Notes:
- “Day Tripper” (The Beatles) tease
- “Third Stone from the Sun” (Jimi Hendrix) tease
- Billy Strings solo
- Billy Strings solo on clawhammer banjo
- Billy Strings on clawhammer banjo w/ full band around single mic (Billy Strings, Alex, Jarrod seated)
- Last Time Played 2024-12-13 | 55 show gap
- Full band around single mic (Billy Strings, Alex, Jarrod seated)
- Alex Hargreaves solo intro
- “Fork in the Road” (The Infamous Stringdusters) tease
- Billy Failing on lead vocals
- Last Time Played 2022-08-09 | 260 show gap
Setlist and notes via billybase.net.
Billy Strings
Adams Center –Missoula, Mont.
August 16, 2025
Set I: Seven Weeks in County, Dusty Miller > While I’m Waiting Here, Train Train, In The Morning Light, In the Clear, Bye Bye Blues1, The Lonesome River2, Richard Petty3, Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You4, Thirst Mutilator, Dealing Despair, Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down
Set II: Fire Line5, Reuben’s Train, Enough To Leave, Everything’s The Same, Seney Stretch, Don’t Be Calling Me (at 4 AM), Heartbeat Of America, My Love Come Rolling Down, Pyramid Country, Spinning6, Planet Caravan, Tentacle Dragon (Revenge Of The), Leadfoot7
Enc.: Salty Dog Blues
Notes:
- Last Time Played 2020-02-28 | 452 show gap
- Full band around single mic
- Full band (minus Alex) around single mic
- 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
- “Vicarious” (Tool) tease
- Last Time Played 2024-12-12 | 57 show gap
- Billy Strings on his Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo & Billy Failing on Guitar
Setlist and notes via billybase.net.
