Billy Strings Celebrates Birthday With Les Claypool In Oakland

Billy Strings celebrated his birthday on Saturday at Oakland Arena in Oakland, California, with help from Les Claypool. The Primus bassist joined Strings and his band for the final three songs of the first set on the second night of a two-night stand.

Claypool played bass on “Billy Was A Race Car Driver,” a birthday adaptation of the Primus song “Jerry Was A Race Car Driver.” Claypool prefaced the song by telling the audience about recently visiting Strings in Nashville and cruising around in the latter’s 1972 green Chevrolet Chevelle classic car.

Claypool then took lead vocals on “Over The Falls,” another Primus song, and stayed on for John Hartford’s “All Fall Down” to close the set.

Strings and his band played “Over The Falls” once prior, on May 2022, when Claypool also guested that night at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Earlier this year, while still recovering from a broken leg, Strings sat in with Primus in Michigan.

Strings, performing with mandolinist Jarrod Walker, bassist Royal Masat, banjoist Billy Failing and fiddler Alex Hargreaves, opened the second set Saturday with rare cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Cassidy.”

Billy Strings’ Fall Tour 2026 continues Tuesday at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.

Stream official audio of Billy Strings and Les Claypool jamming in Oakland via nugs (and below). Scroll on to see videos of the collaboration:

Setlist (via BillyBase)

Set One: Freeborn Man > Secrets, Escanaba, Love And Regret, Big Spike Hammer, Happy Hollow, Home, Billy Was A Race Car Driver [1][2], Over The Falls [1][3][4], All Fall Down [1]

Set Two: Cassidy [5] > Thirst Mutilator > On And On, Broken Doe, I’m A Natural Born Gamblin’ Man, Streamline Cannonball, Wrestling An Angel, Meet Me At The Creek > Pyramid Country > Dusty Miller > Must Be Seven > Meet Me At The Creek

Notes:

• [1] With Les Claypool on bass guitar.
• [2] First time played; adaptation of Primus’ “Jerry Was A Race Car Driver” for Billy Strings’ birthday.
• [3] Claypool on lead vocals.
• [4] Last time played May 8, 2022 (365-show gap).
• [5] Last time played February 6, 2026 (43-show gap).