Billy Strings Welcomes Chris Thile and Punch Brothers for Extensive 13-Song Encore of Classic Bluegrass Covers
Photo: Stevo Rood
This past weekend, June 13 and 14, Billy Strings brought his ongoing tour to the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis. The first night was a journey through the band’s repertoire, with nods to almost-forgotten covers. The real surprise came on Saturday, during the concert’s finale. Strings, his musical ally Chris Thile, and the Punch Brothers delivered a show-stopping performance, collaborating on select numbers, with significant reference to classics from the bluegrass songbook.
Friday saw the return to John Hartford’s “Today” for the first time following a 61-show performance gap. The trend kept up and accounted for the second set arrival of Jim & Jesse-associated “Airmail Special,” which emerged for the first time in concert since Dec. 16, 2023. Ultimately, the band, Strings, Billy Failing (vocals, banjo), Jarrod Walker (vocals, mandolin), Royal Masat (vocals, bass), and Alex Hargreaves (fiddle) treated their audience to traditional, turned Doc Watson covered “Walking Boss,” last played April 2, 2021, capping a 398 show performance gap.
All roads led to Saturday’s stand, which started with a 10-song set that included a taste of Primus’ “Conspiranoia” during “Meet Me At The Creek.” Teases ensued during the 15-track second set, Phish’s “Blaze On” was inserted into Peter Rowan’s original, “Blue Mule,” and Men Without Hats’ “Safety Dance” on Hartford’s own “All Fall Down.” Prior to the arrival of Punch Brothers, Strings and Thile stepped out as a duo, and built off of performances past, and their joint experiences on CBS Saturday Morning, New York Philharmonic’s 65th Street Sessions, live instances which occurred after they forged an initial musical bond at Telluride.
Strings and Thile huddled around a single mic for the initial series of songs, which flowed one to the next and took shape as traditional “Feast Here Tonight (Rabbit In A Log)” into the Leslie Keith-penned “Black Mountain Rag,” a feature of Strings’ self-titled EP, before turning back into the encore initiator. Notably, Thile and the Punch Brothers were in the region ahead of their own St. Louis stand on June 14, at The Pageant in St. Louis, making their appearance a reasonable addition to Strings’ own performance.
Punch Brothers arrived for the encore’s fourth placement, Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys’ highly regarded “Uncle Pen,” and continued their treatment on classics, including Hattie Nevada’s “The Letter Edged in Black,” which was accounted for ahead of the concert debut of Jesse Fuller’s “Ninety Nine Years And One Dark Day,” sung by Thile. Continuing with classic examples from the bluegrass songbook, the ensemble pulled in Jimmie Skinner’s “Doin’ My Time,” Stanley Brothers’ “The Lonesome River,” and Bill Monroe’s “My Sweet Blue Eyed Darling.”
A highlight of the expansive encore was the pairing of Gershwin’s “Summertime” and Dave Grisman’s esteemed instrumental “E.M.D. (Eat My Dust),” which showcased two beloved staples as one movement. This motif continued on Stanley Brothers’ “Rank Stranger,” featuring Punch Brothers’ bassist Paul Kowert, Strings, and Thile. Ultimately, in their final move of the night, the two bandleaders found an exit after Reno & Smiley’s “I’m Gone, Long Gone.”
Next up, Strings and his band will perform on June 19 in Charlotte, Mich. For more information, visit www.billystrings.com/tour.
Billy Strings
Chaifetz Arena – St. Louis
June 13, 2025
Set I: Red Daisy> Ruby, Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor, In The Morning Light, Gone A Long Time, Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You1, I’m Still Here > Thirst Mutilator > Taking Water, Home Of The Red Fox > Must Be Seven, Today2, Wargasm
Set II: Airmail Special3, Away From The Mire, New Country Blues, While I’m Waiting Here, I Only Exist, Happy Hollow, Gild the Lily, Lonesome Moonlight Waltz, Cabin Song, Home, I’m One Of Those, Turmoil & Tinfoil4
Enc.: Walking Boss5, John Hardy
Notes:
- 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
- Last Time Played 2024-08-17 | 61 show gap
- Last Time Played 2023-12-16 | 98 show gap
- “The Raiders March” (John Williams) tease
- Last Time Played 2021-04-02 | 398 show gap
Billy Strings
Chaifetz Arena – St. Louis
June 14, 2025
Set I: Likes Of Me > Meet Me At The Creek1, Crossing Muddy Waters, Show Me The Door, Fire Line, Bronzeback, Love and Regret, Sophronie, Ernest T. Grass > Secrets
Set II: Leaning on a Travelin’ Song > Sally Johnson, 10,000 Miles From A Friend, Run Down > Kentucky Mandolin, Be Your Man, Highway Hypnosis, Harbor of Love, Blue Mule2, California Sober, Everything’s The Same, The Cuckoo > Long Forgotten Dream, All Fall Down3, The Beginning of the End
Enc.: Feast Here Tonight (Rabbit In A Log)4 >Black Mountain Rag4 > Feast Here Tonight, (Rabbit In A Log)4, Uncle Pen5, The Letter Edged In Black5, Ninety Nine Years And One Dark Day5, 6, 7, Doin’ My Time5, The Lonesome River5, My Sweet Blue Eyed Darling5, Summertime5,8 > E.M.D. (Eat My Dust)5,8, Rank Stranger5,8, I’m Gone, Long Gone5
Notes:
- “Conspiranoia” (Primus) tease
- “Blaze On” (Phish) lyric change
- “Safety Dance” (Men Without Hats) tease
- Billy Strings duet w/ Chris Thile on mandolin around single mic
- w/ the Punch Brothers around single mic
- w/ Chris Thile on lead vocals
- FTP – Jesse Fuller
- w/ Paul Kowert on bass
Setlist + notes via billybase.net.
