Billy Strings Takes ‘Malfunction Junction’ For A Spin In Exclusive ‘Austin City Limits’ Preview

Billy Strings returned to the stage for his first full-band show of his own since breaking his leg in April when he taped an Austin City Limits performance on July 2. The resulting Season 52 episode premieres Saturday, September 19 on PBS.

Strings and his band filmed the performance at ACL Live at The Moody Theater in Austin. Seated in a semicircle, Strings, mandolinist Jarrod Walker, bassist Royal Masat, banjoist Billy Failing and fiddler Alex Hargreaves each take a solo during “Malfunction Junction.”

“This is a little thing called ‘Malfunction Junction,’” Strings told the audience before leading the quintet through the Highway Prayers instrumental. The album won Best Bluegrass Album at the 2026 Grammy Awards.

Strings had been off the road since suffering the injury in a backstage skateboarding accident. He made guest appearances with Primus, Trey Anastasio and The McCourys before playing his first full-band shows since breaking his leg in Austin. The ACL taping was followed two days later by a set at Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic.

The seven-song episode also features “Red Daisy,” “Love And Regret,” “The Fire On My Tongue” and “Seven Weeks In County.” Strings pays tribute to mandolin legends Frank Wakefield and David Grisman by pairing “End Of The Rainbow” with “Dawg’s Rag,” then closes the hour with a “Hide And Seek” featuring riffs from Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child.”

Strings previously headlined Austin City Limits during Season 47 in 2021 and appeared in the program’s 50th-anniversary special in 2025.

The Billy Strings episode premieres Saturday at 8 p.m. CT/9 p.m. ET on PBS. The complete installment will also be available to stream through PBS.org, the PBS App and the ACLTV YouTube channel. Check local listings for broadcast information.

Watch JamBase’s exclusive premiere of Billy Strings performing “Malfunction Junction” below: