New Songs For A New Year: Watch Billy Strings Premiere Originals On New Year’s Eve In New Orleans

Billy Strings looked forward at his New Year’s Eve concert on Sunday at UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. The guitarist and his band capped a three-night stand and 2023 with a three-set show that included the debut performances of three originals.

Strings, bassist Royal Masat, fiddler Alex Hargreaves, mandolinist Jarrod Walker and banjo player Billy Failing split up the premieres with each set featuring one new song. The show also saw Billy use his Casio DG-20 Synth guitar for “Auld Lang Syne 3000” to ring in 2024 and the quintet offering their typical mix of covers and originals.

Sunday’s show began with “The Fire On My Tongue,” one of five songs off Strings’ most recent studio album, 2021’s Renewal, to make the setlist on New Year’s Eve. “Ice Bridges,” “Show Me The Door,” “Know It All” and “Love & Regret” were the other Renewal cuts played on NYE in NOLA. Additionally, Strings’ Grammy-winning 2019 LP, Home was represented by the title track, “Watch It Fall,” “Highway Hypnosis,” “Long Forgotten Dream” and “Taking Water.”

The first of the debuts came six songs into the 13-song first set. Strings led his band through the new original “Seven Weeks In County,” a tale of life in prison.

Billy and his bandmates paired the aforementioned Home and Renewal tunes “Taking Water” and “Ice Bridges” to start the second set on New Year’s Eve. A cover of Jimmy Martin’s “Sophronie” was followed by the debut performance of “In The Clear.” Strings told the crowd he taught his bandmates the song a few hours before the show. The rollicking and hopeful number saw the band display beautiful harmonies and included tasty solos from Hargreaves and Walker. Fan-favorite “Turmoil & Tinfoil” came next along with “Show Me The Door” and Walker taking a turn fronting the band on “Nobody’s Love Is Like Mine” ahead of a set-closing run connecting “Psycho,” “Pyramid Country” and “Ole Slewfoot.”

The five musicians, who dressed all night in costumes embracing the run’s masquerade theme, kicked off the third set with Bill Emerson’s “Home Of The Red Fox” as the time was displayed on screens behind the band. Strings grabbed his Casio DG-20 just before the clock struck midnight. Confetti canons were shot out while the band played “Auld Lang Syne 3000.”

Up next was “Know It All.” Then, the band gathered around a single mic for “Richard Petty,” the evening’s final debut. The song was written by Strings on the bus down to New Orleans about “New Year’s Eve and resolutions” as he aims to do “something right” in 2024. Billy dedicated “Richard Petty” to the NASCAR great of the same name as well as those trying to make good on New Year’s resolutions.

The third of three new tunes played on New Year’s Eve was followed by the gorgeous “Love & Regret” and covers of Danny Barnes’ “Pretty Daughter” and Pink Floyd’s “Fearless.” The original “Libby Phillips Rag” came next. From there, Strings and his band dusted off their take on the Willie Nelson classic “Hands On The Wheel” for the first time since May. Other highlights of the third set included the beloved “Meet Me At The Creek,” the band’s seventh-ever rendition of The Moody Blues’ “Nights In White Satin” and a “Tennessee” finale.

Stream an audience recording of Strings’ New Year’s Eve show taped by G-Man below:

Billy Strings opens his 2024 touring with a three-night stand at ExploreAsheville.com Arena in Asheville, North Carolina February 16 – 18. Scroll below for all dates.

Setlist (via BillyBase.net)

Set One: The Fire On My Tongue > Bronzeback, Watch It Fall, Katy Daley, Home, Seven Weeks in County [1], Highway Hypnosis [2], My Alice, Long Forgotten Dream, The Old Mountaineer, Be Your Man > Thirst Mutilator, Slow Train

Set Two: Taking Water > Ice Bridges, Sophronie, In the Clear [1], Turmoil & Tinfoil, Show Me The Door, Nobody’s Love Is Like Mine [3], Psycho > Pyramid Country > Ole Slewfoot

Set Three: Home Of The Red Fox [4], Auld Lang Syne 3000 [5] [6], Know It All, Richard Petty [1] [7], Love and Regret, Pretty Daughter, Fearless, Libby Phillips Rag, Hands On the Wheel, Blues Stay Away From Me, Meet Me At The Creek, Old Man At The Mill, Nights In White Satin, I’m Gone, Long Gone, Tennessee

• [1] FTP – Original
• [2] “Death Trip” tease (Bad Livers)
• [3] Jarrod Walker on lead vocals
• [4] Countdown to the new year ran on the screens behind the band and confetti canons were shot at midnight
• [5] FTP on Casio
• [6] Billy on Casio DG-20 Synth guitar
• [7] Billy Strings, Billy Failing, Royal Masat, Jarrod Walker around single mic