Billy Strings Welcomes RMR & Debuts The Doors Cover In Los Angeles

Billy Strings debuted a The Doors cover and welcomed rapper/singer RMR during Wednesday’s concert at The Belasco in Los Angeles. The guest joined the guitarist and his band for their previous collaboration “Wargasm” and his own popular single, “Rascal.”

Strings led off the first set with the location-appropriate cover of New Riders Of The Purple Sage’s “Lonesome L.A. Cowboy.” The band followed with “The Fire On My Tongue,” one of several songs on Wednesday’s setlist recorded for Strings’ upcoming studio album, Renewal. Set one also presented a seamless “While I’m Waiting Here,” “Pyramid Country” and “Train Train” sequence. The penultimate song of the set was the debut cover of “Hyacinth House,” which appeared on The Doors’ 1971 album L.A. Woman.

“Taking Water” served as the second set opener and was followed by a trifecta of Renewal songs, “Ice Bridges,” “In The Morning Light” and “Running The Route.” A bit later in the set, Strings and his bandmates segued out of the Renewal track “Leaders” into “Wargasm” as RMR emerged to sit-in on the recent studio collaboration. After the guest exited, a cover of J.J. Cale’s “Ride Me High” and “Meet Me At The Creek” closed out the second set.

RMR reemerged at the onset of the encore, leading Strings’ first-time performance of the former’s viral hit “Rascal.” Strings, bassist Royal Masat, banjoist Billy Failing and mandolinist Jarrod Walker remained onstage for a show-ending rendition of Bill Monroe’s “Roll On Buddy, Roll On.”

Watch video footage of “Rascal” below:

Setlist (via Billy Strings PT)

Set One: Lonesome LA Cowboy, The Fire On My Tongue > Little Maggie, While I’m Waiting Here > Pyramid Country > Train Train, Love & Regret, Dust In A Baggie, Hyacinth House [1], Hide & Seek

Set Two: Taking Water > Ice Bridges, In The Morning Light, Running The Route > Billy In The Lowground > Just Because, Highway Hypnosis, Leaders > Wargasm [2], Ride Me High, Meet Me At The Creek

Encore: Rascal [1][2], Roll On Buddy, Roll On

Notes:

• [1] debut
• [2] with RMR on vocals