Meet Me At The Rail: Billy Strings Takes Guitar Into Crowd In Albany

Billy Strings took his guitar to the people during Wednesday’s show at MVP Arena in Albany, New York. Strings performed part of the first-set closing “Meet Me At The Creek” while walking among the audience on the floor of the venue.

Strings made ample use of the space at MVP Arena, taking a seat onstage for a two-song solo segment in the middle of the first set. Billy’s seated solo session began on guitar with “Matty Groves” and ended with a banjo-picked take on “Country Blues.”

Strings’ bandmates, bassist Royal Masat, banjoist Billy Failing, mandolinist Jarrod Walker and fiddler Alex Hargreaves, then came back to join him on “Sally Goodin” and “Secrets.”

The quintet took their time easing into the subsequent “Meet Me At The Creek.” A few minutes into its jam, Strings left the other four musicians in place and headed for the arena floor. Strings strolled through the crowd while wirelessly continuing to add to the jam, at one point stopping to catch the view from the front row rail.

The band followed the halftime break with a second set of music, launched by a solo “Guitar Peace” and full band cover of Pink Floyd’s “Fearless.” Both the show’s opening “Richard Petty” and “Happy Hollow” and its “Freedom” encore were performed by the musicians utilizing a single center stage microphone.

An on-demand livestream of last night’s concert is available to nugs All Access subscribers. Watch in-person captured video of Billy Strings hitting the floor of MVP Arena during last night’s “Meet Me At The Creek”:

Setlist (via BillyBase.net)

Set One: Richard Petty [1], Happy Hollow [2], Malfunction Junction >, Airmail Special, While I’m Waiting Here, Enough To Leave, In the Clear, Matty Groves [3], Country Blues [4], Sally Goodin >, Secrets, Meet Me At The Creek [5]

Set Two: Guitar Peace >, Fearless, Turmoil & Tinfoil, Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You [6], All Of Tomorrow, Bronzeback, Hello, City Limits, Fire Line >, Thirst Mutilator >, Cabin Song, 10,000 Miles From A Friend, The Beginning of the End

Encore: Freedom [2]

Notes:

• [1] – Full band (minus Alex) around single mic
• [2] – Full band around single mic
• [3] – Billy Strings solo
• [4] – Billy Strings solo on clawhammer banjo
• [5] – Billy Strings left the stage and entered the crowd continuing to play
• [6] – Billy Strings on a Martin Grand J-28E, Royal Masat on a Nord Stage 3 88-Key Keyboard & Billy Failing on Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo