Billy Strings Wheels Into Wings Center With Rare Greensky Bluegrass Cover

Billy Strings hit the Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Thursday. The guitarist and his band delivered a doubly apt cover of Greensky Bluegrass’ “Wings For Wheels” in the second set.

Billy and company — mandolinist Jarrod Walker, bassist Royal Masat, banjoist Billy Failing and fiddler Alex Hargreaves — got the concert underway with pair of songs, “Red Daisy” and “Hellbender,” off their 2021 album Renewal. Strings then delivered a trifecta of “heart” songs beginning with New Grass Revival’s “This Heart Of Mine,” followed by originals “Hollow Heart” and “Heartbeat Of America.”

Renewal cut “Love & Regret” came next ahead of Bill Monroe’s “The Old Mountaineer.” A pair of tunes, “Away from From The Mire” and “Long Forgotten Dream,” off Billy’s Grammy-winning 2019 album, Home, followed. The quintet then linked up The Dillards’ “Ernest T. Grass” and original “Secrets” before capping the set with the favorite “Dust In A Baggie.”

The second frame launched with a pairing of “The Fire On My Tongue” and Bob Dylan’s “Drifter’s Escape.” Billy then delivered his co-write with Greensky Bluegrass’ Paul Hoffman, “In the Morning Light,” before offering “Wings For Wheels,” penned by Hoffman’s GSBG bandmate Dave Bruzza. Not only is the name of the Kalamazoo venue, Wings Event Center, but Greensky bluegrass formed in Kalamazoo in 2000. Billy has played the song just six times since its debut in 2018.

A seamless trio of tunes, “Likes Of Me,” “Pyramid Country” and “Ole Slewfoot” followed ahead of the newly debuted original, “My Alice,” and Tony Rice’s “Manzanita.” After “This Old World,” Billy would go it alone for the Doc Watson-recored “And Am I Born To Die?” before the band returned for more Doc-related tunes, “The Train That Carried My Girl From Town” and “Black Mountain Rag.” The title track from Strings 2017 album, Turmoil & Tinfoli, sealed the second set. Billy and the band returned to encore with the traditional, “John Hardy.”

Watch fan-shot video of “Wings For Wheels” below:

Setlist (via BillyBase)

Set 1: Red Daisy, Hellbender This Heart Of Mine > Hollow Heart, Heartbeat Of America, Love & Regret, The Old Mountaineer, Away From The Mire Long Forgotten Dream Ernest T. Grass Secrets Dust In A Baggie

Set 2: The Fire On My Tongue > Drifter’s Escape, In The Morning Light, Wings For Wheels, Likes Of Me > Pyramid Country > Ole Slewfoot, My Alice, Manzanita, This Old World, And Am I Born To Die?[1], The Train That Carried My Girl From Town > Black Mountain Rag, Turmoil & Tinfoil

Encore: John Hardy

Notes:

1. Billy Strings solo