Billy Strings Debuts ‘2001’ Cover, Announces Free New Orleans Live Stream & Shares ‘OurVinyl’ Session

Billy Strings continued his winter tour on Thursday night at Mars Music hall in Huntsville, Alabama; where he led his band through a cover of “Also Sprach Zarathrustra,” aka “2001,” for the first time. Strings and company also filmed a performance for OurVinyl Sessions and confirmed a free live stream of their concert at Tipitina’s in New Orleans tonight (Friday, January 24).

Thursday’s show in Huntsville began with Billy’s first cover of the traditional and geographically-appropriate “Alabama Bound” in 170 shows. Strings and his band went on to mix such originals as “Taking Water,” “Highway Hypnosis” and “Spinning” with a bevy of covers including Jimmy Cliff’s “Sitting In Limbo,” Widespread Panic’s “All Time Low” and New Grass Revival’s “This Heart Of Mine” in the opening frame. The quartet’s first ever “2001” came towards the end of the set.

For the second set, the guitarist led his group through such numbers as “Tipper,” “So Many Miles,” “Dust In A Baggie” and Garcia/Grisman’s “Dreadful Wind & Rain.” The band showed off their improvisational prowess during a 15+ minute “Turmoil & Tinfoil” and encored with The Infamous Stringdusters’ “No More To Leave You Behind.” Listen to full show audio taped by Keith Litzenberger below:

Watch “Home Of The Red Fox” > “2001” > “Ole Slewfoot” below thanks to Music City Maven:

Tonight, Billy Strings heads to New Orleans for a show at Tipitina’s. A free webcast is available via nugs.tv. Watch Strings’ concert below starting around 11 p.m. ET:

Strings and his band — consisting of bassist Royal Masat, banjoist Billy Failing and mandolin wiz Jarrod Walker — recorded a set for the OurVinyl Sessions video series in 2018. The session was filmed at Starstruck Studios in Nashville and is now available via streaming services and on YouTube. Watch Billy, Royal, Billy and Jarrod perform “Dust In A Baggie,” “Turmoil & Tinfoil,” “While I’m Waiting Here” and “On The Line” below: