Watch Billy Strings Bring Out Béla Fleck & Mickey Raphael At Bridgestone Arena

Guitarist Billy Strings returned to Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Friday night for the first of two guest-filled shows at the venue. Strings was joined by banjo master Béla Fleck and harmonica whiz Mickey Raphael at various points throughout the two-set performance.

Raphael, who is a longtime member of Willie Nelson’s Family band and has collaborated with many others, was the first guest to emerge during Friday’s first set, coming out for a song often associated with Willie Nelson, Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies,” which was sung by bassist Royal Masat and last played by Strings in 2022.

Strings talked about working with Willie Nelson on “California Sober,” and then proceeded to play the song for the first time with Raphael. Strings then went solo on “Catch And Release” and the banjo made its first appearance of the night when Billy switched instruments for a solo offering of “Crawdad Hole.” The rest of the band returned for “Hide And Seek” and “Katy Daley,” then left Strings alone for an a cappella performance of “And Am I Born To Die?” that closed the set.

The second set began with Béla Fleck alone onstage seated on a stool performing an improvised passage. Strings then came out to jam with Fleck before transitioning into “Groundhog.” Strings’ bandmates – Masat, banjoist Billy Failing, mandolinist Jarrod Walker and fiddler Alex Hargreaves – joined the action and launched into Fleck’s “Boulderdash,” which Strings last played in 2019.

Fleck remained to augment Gershwin’s “Summertime,” the traditional “John Hardy” and — with Raphael back onstage — Strings’ “Seven Weeks In County.” After the guests exited, Strings lead runs through “Cabin Song,” “Love Like Me” and “Thunder,” which included a tease of Greensky Bluegrass’ “Don’t Lie” (with GSBG’s Anders Beck in attendance).

Strings and his bandmates gathered around a single microphone for “If Your Hair Is Too Long There’s Sin In Your Heart” and “Freedom.” The second set ended with Fleck and Raphael coming back once more to sit-in on “Harbor of Love” and “Freeborn Man.”

Watch audience-shot video footage and stream an audience recording of Friday’s concert below:

Audio Taped by Z-Man

Setlist via (BillyBase)

Set One: Red Daisy, Hellbender, Red Rocking Chair, Escanaba, All Fall Down, In the Clear, Blue Skies [1],[2],[3], California Sober [1],[4], Catch and Release [5], Crawdad Hole [6], Hide and Seek, Katy Daley, And Am I Born To Die? [7]

Set Two: Jazz Odyssey Vol. 6 [8] > Groundhog [9], Boulderdash [10],[11], Summertime [10], John Hardy [10], Seven Weeks in County [1],[10], Cabin Song, Love Like Me, Thunder [12], If Your Hair Is Too Long, There’s Sin In Your Heart [13], Freedom [13], Harbor of Love [1],[10], Freeborn Man [1],[10]

Notes:

• [1] w/ Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson & Chris Stapleton) on harmonica
• [2] Royal Masat on lead vocals
• [3] Last Time Played 2022-10-13 | 134 show gap
• [4] Billy shared the story of collaborating w/ Willie Nelson on this song and then bringing in Mickey Raphael on harmonica; this is the first time played live with Mickey.
• [5] Billy Strings solo
• [6] Billy Strings solo on clawhammer banjo
• [7] Billy Strings solo, a cappella
• [8] 1Set 2 began with Béla Fleck on banjo solo on a stool at the front of the stage. Billy then joined him on guitar for an improvised jam before going into “Groundhog.”
• [9] Billy Strings on guitar w/ Béla Fleck on banjo
• [10] Full band w/ Béla Fleck on banjo
• [11] Last Time Played 2019-09-12 | 407 show gap
• [12] “Don’t Lie” (Greensky Bluegrass) tease
• [13] Full band around single mic