Music City Madness: Watch Derek Trucks Spend TTB’s Ryman Setbreak Jamming With Billy Strings At Bridgestone Arena

Billy Strings closed out a two-night stand at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Saturday just a few blocks from where Tedeschi Trucks Band wrapped up a three-night run at The Ryman Auditorium. TTB guitarist Derek Trucks used the opportunity afforded by the close proximity of the two venues to pull off his first guest appearance at a Billy Strings show.

“Ladies … gentlemen … folks … people, welcome to the stage Derek Trucks,” Billy Strings alerted the crowd at the Bridgestone Arena towards the end of his first set on Saturday. “You guys just got to see me meet Derek Trucks for the first time ever,” current Nashville resident Strings continued. He then made an interesting comparison. “This is like two dogs sitting here smelling each others’ asses,” Billy quipped. “I’m checking out his licks, he’s checking out my licks.”

Derek Trucks joined Billy Strings, bassist Royal Masat, fiddler Alex Hargreaves, mandolinist Jarron Walker and banjoist Billy Failing on a cover of Widespread Panic’s “Pickin’ Up The Pieces” to start his two-song guest spot. Strings and his band previously performed “Pickin’ Up The Pieces” in Widespread Panic's home state of Georgia on September 9, 2022. Derek’s brother, Duane Trucks, is Widespread Panic’s current drummer.

Playing his signature Gibson SG, Derek Trucks unleashed one powerful riff after another to start the jam. Strings then strung together intense licks of his own on acoustic before Walker delivered a memorable mandolin solo. “Aren’t you supposed to be at another gig?” Billy Strings said after the song and added, “I think he just got dropped off by helicopter. He’s just gonna play one more song with us and parachute over to his other gig.” Trucks then accompanied Strings with stirring slide work on a performance of ballad “Love & Regret” from Billy’s latest studio album, 2021’s Renewal. Derek went on to build his solo to a frenetic peak as Strings smiled wide.

Check out fan-shot footage of Derek Trucks’ first time sharing the stage with Billy Strings below:

Derek Trucks wasn’t Billy Strings’ only special guest on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena. Punch Brothers banjoist Noam Pikelny emerged during the second set for covers of Flatt & Scruggs’ “Polka On A Banjo” and Bill Monroe’s “Shenandoah Breakdown.” While the former was a debut for Strings, the latter was last played on May 14, 2022 in Denver.

Billy Strings kicked off the evening with a seamless run connecting “Bronzeback,” “Must Be Seven” and “Meet Me At The Creek” with Strings’ first take on Bob Dylan’s “Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)” since May 5, 2022 at Jazz Fest in New Orleans — a span of 86 shows. Other highlights included the tender “Away From The Mire” that followed Trucks’ sit-in and capped the first set, a “Ridin’ That Midnight Train” played in honor of the late Ralph Stanley’s birthday and a well-jammed take on “Thunder,” a song featuring lyrics by the late Robert Hunter to which Strings wrote the music. The band gathered around a single mic to seal the show a capella outside of Billy on guitar and Alex on fiddle for the “If Your Hair Is Too Long, There’s Sin In Your Heart” encore.

Setlist (via BillyBase)

Set One: Bronzeback > Must Be Seven > Meet Me At The Creek, Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power), On The Line > Train 45, Show Me The Door, Secrets, Pickin’ Up The Pieces*, Love & Regret*, Away From The Mire

Set Two: The Fire On My Tongue > Ridin’ That Midnight Train**, Fire Line, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Pyramid Country > Thunder, Polka On A Banjo^, Shenandoah Breakdown^^, Summertime, Wargasm

Encore: If Your Hair Is Too Long, There’s Sin In Your Heart$

• * – w/ Derek Trucks (Tedeschi Trucks Band) on slide electric guitar
• ** – Billy wished a “Happy birthday to Ralph Stanley”
• ^ – Noam Pikelny (Punch Brothers) on banjo
• ^^ – First Time Played: Flatt, Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys
• $ – Band around a single mic, Billy on guitar & Alex on fiddle