Billy Strings Wraps Atlanta Run With John Mailander

Billy Strings concluded a four-night run in Atlanta on Sunday. Strings and his band were joined by guest fiddler John Mailander at The Eastern last night as they were for each of the first three nights at the venue.

Last night’s show began with an expansive “Fire On My Tongue,” one of six songs from the guitarist’s Grammy-nominated album, Renewal to make the setlist on Sunday. Strings, Mailander, bassist Royal Masat, mandolinist Jarrod Walker and banjoist Billy Failing dropped into instrumental “Bronzeback” next before returning to Renewal for “Heartbeat of America.”

The first set continued with three covers as a take on Jeff Austin’s “Run Down” was followed by a gorgeous rendition of the Grateful Dead classic “China Doll,” which bled into the band’s second 2021 version of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Midnight Rider.” From there Renewal ballad “Nothing’s Working” led into The Seldom Scene cover “Old Train” before the five musicians closed out the frame with an adventurous, 22-minute “Turmoil & Tinfoil.”

Strings and his mates, along with John Mailander, took the stage for the second set and led the crowd in a toast to Vicente Fernández, the legendary Mexican musician who died at age 81 on Sunday morning. Masat had a turn fronting the group on “Old Mexico” by Marty Stuart to kick off the final set of the run. Next came Renewal standout “Hellbender” and covers of New Grass Revival’s “This Heart Of Mine” and Bill Monroe’s “My Little Georgia Rose.” Strings and company then worked “Living Like An Animal” into “Long Forgotten Dream” before Renewal tracks “Love & Regret” and “Watch It Fall” were broken up by a fiddle-heavy “West Dakota Rose”

Sunday’s second set came to a close with a lengthy and deep “Hide & Seek.” The evening’s final Renewal cut featured a tease of the Beverly Hills Cop theme in a callback to Saturday's “Big Mon 3000” finale. Strings capped the night and run with “Everything’s The Same.” Billy changed the lyric from “I’m going to Florida” to “I’m going to Georgia” to honor the location.

Stream an audience recording taped by Z-Man and watch fan-shot videos featuring “China Doll,” “Midnight Rider” and “Love & Regret” from Sunday’s Billy Strings concert at The Eastern in Atlanta below:

Setlist (via Billy Strings Set List Page)

Set One: Fire On My Tongue > Bronzeback, Heartbeat of America, Rundown, China Doll > Midnight Rider, Nothing’s Working, Old Train, Turmoil & Tinfoil

Set Two: Old Mexico, Hellbender, This Heart Of Mine, My Little Georgia Rose, Living Like An Animal > Long Forgotten Dream, Love & Regret, West Dakota Rose, Watch It Fall, Hide & Seek [1]

Encore: Everything’s The Same

[1] Beverly Hills Cop theme tease