The Beginning of the End: Billy Strings Turns in Final Appearances on European Fall Tour 2025
Photo: A Rood
On Friday evening, Billy Strings arrived at the Royal Albert Hall in London for the second-to-last appearance on his European Fall Tour. The concert also marked a debut: the first time Strings, Billy Failing, Royal Masat, Alex Hargreaves, and Jarrod Walker had joined in song on the grand and historic stage, which has hosted a multitude of elite guests over its 150-year history. The concert stirred up a mix of new and old material, birthday salutations to Failing, fitting lyric changes, and other exclusive moments that marked the beginning of the end of this stint across the pond.
The concert began with a series of four originals, “Red Daisy,” “Gild The Lily,” “Hellbender,” and “Dust in a Baggie,” which aligned with the crowd’s response: birthday greetings to the banjoist. In the concert’s fifth slot was the Doc Watson released city-naming, “Leaving London.” The original “Show Me the Door” came before instrumental music, covering David Grisman’s self-titled “Dawg’s Rag.” Next, select members transitioned to using other instruments, Strings on a Martin Grand J-28E, Masat on a Nord Stage 3 88-Key Keyboard, and Failing on Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo for their “Stratosphere Blues/ I Believe in You.”
They filled the final holes of the first set with “In the Clear” and “Turmoil & Tinfoil,” complete with teases of the “Inspector Gadget” theme. The second set included a debut of Jim Croce’s “Age,” followed by “My Alice” and “Away from the Mire.” A solo, a cappella delivery of “And Am I Born to Die” caused hairs to rise when sung by just the bandleader. He also performed “Brown’s Ferry Blues” before inviting up Failing for Dos Billys’ banjo display—Strings created an impromptu celebration, playing the intro to “Happy Birthday” to mark the occasion.
During the band’s performance of the Eddie Noack-released “Psycho,” Strings played with the lyrics, making them applicable to The Big Smoke: “Can Mary fry some fish and chips, Mama?” Paying homage to the bluegrass tradition, the group gathered around a single mic, sans Hargreaves for “Richard Petty,” and were rejoined by their fiddler for the night-closing take on Jimmy Martin’s “Tennessee.”
After taking Saturday night off the road, the band pulled into their final stop on this tour, The National Stadium in Dublin, on Sunday, October 12. The concert was a relatively standard affair for a Strings’ performance, thoughtful and accurate to the genre’s tradition, with plenty of pockets for improvisation. The band’s first set weaved through original material and cover songs, amongst the most talked about was Strings’ tease of traditional, and fitting Irish nod, “Red-Haired Boy” during “Pyramid Country,” which was birthed out of “Likes of Me,” and later resolved into “Little Maggie.”
Old and in the Way featured “The Hobo Song,” welcomed the audience back from break, and represented a return, having been shelved and collecting dust since December 6, 2023. Its arrival ended a 137-show performance gap. Before turning in their final gig on this tour, the group floated “It Ain’t Before” for the first time since April, and ultimately pulled out Hot Rize release, “Colleen Malone,” after nodding to the concert’s sentiment via “The Beginning of the End.” The final cover also served as a bust-out, last played on March 17, 2023. Its placement in Strings’ final setlist for his European Tour ended a 212-show gap.
Strings will return to the road on October 23, at The Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, Ala., for the first in a three-night stand. For tickets and more information about the band’s live performances, visit www.billystrings.com.
Scroll down to view setlists from Strings’ final appearance in Europe.
Billy Strings
Royal Albert Hall – London
Oct. 10, 2025
Set I: Red Daisy Gild the Lily Hellbender Dust In A Baggie1 Leaving London2 Show Me The Door Dawg’s Rag Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You3 In the Clear Turmoil & Tinfoil4
Set II: The Fire On My Tongue Ole Slew Foot Age5 My Alice Away From The Mire And Am I Born To Die?6 Brown’s Ferry Blues7 Dos Banjos8,9 Escanaba Nights In White Satin Pretty Daughter Psycho10 Hide and Seek Richard Petty11 Tennessee12
Notes:
- Crowd sang Billy Failing “Happy Birthday” for his birthday today
- Last Time Played 2024-11-01 | 79 show gap
- 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
- “Inspector Gadget” (Saban & Levy) teases
- FTP – Jim Croce
- Billy Strings solo a cappella
- Billy Strings solo
- Dos Billys (Billy Strings on clawhammer banjo and Billy Failing on banjo)
- “Happy Birthday” Billy Strings banjo intro for Billy Failing’s birthday
- “Can Mary fry some fish and chips, Mama?” lyric change
- Full band (minus Alex) around single mic
- Full band around single mic
Billy Strings
The National Stadium – Dublin
Oct. 12, 2025
Set I: Taking Water Ice Bridges Streamline Cannonball Cold Cold World Enough To Leave Malfunction Junction Drifter’s Escape Hollow Heart St. Louis Blues While I’m Waiting Here Likes Of Me Pyramid Country1 Little Maggie
Set II: The Hobo Song2 I’m One Of Those Hello, City Limits Fire Line Be Your Man St. James Hospital It Ain’t Before3 Miss The Mississippi And You Highway Hypnosis Home The Beginning of the End Colleen Malone4
Notes:
- “Red-Haired Boy” (Traditional) tease
- Last Time Played 2023-12-06 | 137 show gap
- Last Time Played 2025-04-15 | 50 show gap
- Last Time Played 2023-03-17 | 212 show gap
All setlists and notes via billybase.net.
