Billy Strings Breaks Out Casio DG-20 Synth Guitar For ‘Boston Boi 3000’

Billy Strings capped a two-night run at Boston’s Leader Bank Pavilion on Wednesday. The show featured the debut of “Boston Boi 3000,” the latest song to feature Strings on a Casio DG-20 digital guitar synthesizer.

The traditional “Boston Boy” joins the ranks of other songs Strings has performed on Casio DG-20, including Bill Monroe’s “Big Mon” and “Gold Rush,” Bill Emerson’s “Home Of The Red Fox,” and the recently debuted The Andy Griffith Show theme. Strings previously played “Boston Boy” once before on November 17, 2021.

After being joined by clawhammer banjo player Victor Furtado during Tuesday’s show at Leader Bank Pavilion, Strings began Wednesday’s first set by showing off his own clawhammer-picking skills. The solo start to the show saw Strings playing banjo on “Georgia Buck.” Next came “Ol’ Rickard,” which was written in fall 2021 after Strings took ownership of a Rickard open-back banjo.

Strings wrapped the opening solo banjo sequence with “Reuben’s Train.” Strings played banjo again at the start of the second set, going head-to-head with banjo player Billy Failing on “Dos Banjos.”

Billy Strings heads to Portland, Maine to kick off a two-show run at Thompson’s Point on Friday night. Free livestreams are available for nugs.net subscribers. Watch Strings’ solo banjo start from last night’s livestream preview below:

Setlist (via BillyBase)

Set One: Georgia Buck [1] > Ol’ Rickard [1] > Reuben’s Train [1], Cabin Song, Tipper, I’ve Lived a Lot in My Time, End Of The Rainbow > Ice Bridges, Reverend, Show Me The Door, Whisper My Name, Turmoil & Tinfoil

Set Two: Dos Banjos [2], Slow Train, The Cuckoo > Living Like An Animal > Know It All, Summertime, The Train That Carried My Girl From Town > Black Mountain Rag, Nothing’s Working, I Only Exist, Crown Of Thorns > Tentacle Dragon (Revenge Of The), Pyramid Country > Must Be Seven

Encore: Boston Boi 3000 [3]

Notes:

• [1] Billy Strings solo on clawhammer banjo
• [2] Dos Billys (Billy Strings on clawhammer banjo, Billy Failing on banjo)
• [3] Billy Strings on a Casio DG-20 synth guitar