Billy Strings Transforms Grief Into Music: Dedicates Rupp Arena Shows To Late Mother

Billy Strings found comfort in music by performing concerts shortly after the death of his mother, Debra Apostol, who sadly died on Friday, June 20. Strings played two emotionally charged shows at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky on Friday and Saturday nights.

The tragic news of Debra Apostol’s passing came one day after Strings (born William Apostol) shared the stage with his father, Terry Barber, at Michigan’s Charlotte Bluegrass Festival. Barber and Apostol raised Strings, whose biological father died when Strings was 2 years old.

Before the start of Friday’s concert, Strings appeared alone onstage and, with his eyes shielded by the brim of his baseball cap, addressed the audience:

“Good evening, folks, and thank you for coming. I’m going to do my best to make it through this. This is probably going to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. You know, how tonight’s going to turn out – it’s kind of up in the air. It depends on how much strength I can muster and how much I can lean on you all.

“Last night we played up in Michigan, where I’m from at the Charlotte Bluegrass Festival up there, and after our set we drove through the night. I finally fell asleep when we got parked here in Lexington, probably about 5:40 this morning or so, and I might have got three hours of sleep. I was in a deep sleep and my wife woke me up this morning and told me that my beautiful mother, Debra Apostol, had passed away in her sleep.

“So I just put my shoes on and started walking. I walked until I saw this old country church and it was like a beacon. I went there and knocked on the door, and this kind lady let me in and she stayed with me and prayed with me for a while, and eventually gave me a ride back to where I was staying.

“It was my decision to carry on with tonight’s show because that’s what my mom would have wanted me to do, and she really loved this group of people. She loved you all so much, and the last couple of years were some of her happiest because of a lot of you folks right here. You all became some of her best friends, and I really want to thank you for that.

“You all showed her a lot of kindness, whether she was out on the lot or bopping around here at the shows, and the reason I decided not to go home and be with my family right now is because I already am.

“I spent most of today in a daze and I just want you to know I’m going to do my best to do tonight’s show. Also, if you’re just casually coming to tonight’s show and you’re like, ‘What the hell is going on right now?’I’m sorry, but we’re a family here. If you’re going through some shit, I’m going through it too, and tonight I need you.

“So please, instead of a moment of silence, can you please make as much noise right now for my mom?”

Strings’ bandmates — bassist Royal Masat, banjoist Billy Failing, mandolinist Jarrod Walker and fiddler Alex Hargreaves – then came out to support the guitarist through the difficult performance. “I’ve Just Seen The Rock Of Ages,” which references a mother passing away, opened Friday’s first of two sets.

Playing songs his mother liked, Strings worked in covers of The Beatles’ “Here Comes The Sun” and “Rocky Raccoon” in the first set and Pearl Jam’s “Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town” and “In Hiding” in the second set.

“Here’s one, when I was a little kid, my mom taught me the words to,” Strings said before the “Elderly Woman” cover. “And it won me the fourth-grade talent show. First time in the newspaper!”

The heavy-hearted opening night at Rupp ended with Strings and his band assembled around a single microphone for “Standing In The Need Of Prayer” and “Freedom.”

Strings wrote “For mom” at the bottom of the image of Friday’s setlist he shared on social media. The guitarist soldiered on and delivered another emotional concert on Saturday night at Rupp Arena. Strings is slated to perform next on July 15 when he embarks on his first tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Official soundboard audio and on-demand livestreams of Billy Strings’ recent performances are available to nugs subscribers.

Setlist (via BillyBase.net)

Set One: I’ve Just Seen The Rock Of Ages [1,2], The Fire On My Tongue, Bronzeback, Away From The Mire, My Alice, Here Comes The Sun, Rocky Raccoon, Ain’t Nothing To Me, New Camptown Races, Love and Regret, I’d Like To Be A Train, Ready For The Times To Get Better, Hide and Seek

Set Two: In the Clear, Walk On Boy, Must Be Seven, Pyramid Country, Secrets, Dos Banjos [3], Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You [4], Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, In Hiding, End Of The Rainbow, Enough To Leave, There Is A Time

Encore: Standing In The Need Of Prayer [5], Freedom [5]

Notes:

• [1] – Last Time Played 2024-10-18 | 54 show gap
• [2] – Show opened with the crowd making a lot of noise for Billy’s mom, Debra Apostol, who this show is dedicated to
• [3] – Dos Billys (Billy Strings on clawhammer banjo and Billy Failing on banjo)
• [4] – 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
• [5] – Full band around single mic