Billy Strings Welcomes Sarah Jarosz & Mike Robinson At Renewal Festival

Billy Strings offered his final performance at the 2022 Renewal Festival on Saturday in Buena Vista, Colorado. The guitarist and his band welcomed festival performers Sarah Jarosz and Mike Robinson.

Billy and his band — bassist Royal Masat, mandolinist Jarrod Walker, banjoist Billy Failing and fiddler Alex Hargreaves — kicked off the show with “Long Forgotten Dream” followed by a pairing of “While I’m Waiting” and “Hide & Seek,” the latter off the guitarist’s latest album, 2021’s Renewal, the release for which marking the festival’s founding last year. Strings then offered “Hollow Heart” from his Grammy-winning 2019 album, Home, before returning to Renewal with “Heartbeat Of America” and “In The Morning Light.”

Following a cover of the Ebo Walker-penned, New Grass Revival recorded “Whisper My Name,” Billy brought out Mike Robinson on guitar. Strings welcomed Mike, noting he plays with Railroad Earth and Sarah Jarosz. Billy also mentioned Mike’s time with the late Jeff Austin. “We’re gonna do a couple of Jeff Austin songs here,” Billy said, before offering “Run Down” and “Fiddling Around.” Robinson would stick around for a paring of The Dillards’ “Ernest T. Grass” and the Renewal cut “Secrets.” Mike would depart before the band continued with another Renewal track, “Nothing’s Working,” followed by the Gordon Lightfoot-written, Tony Rice-recorded “Cold On The Shoulder.” Billy linked up “On The Line” and “Train 45” to wrap the first set.

Strings coupled “The Fire On My Tongue” and “Ole Slew Foot” to launch the second frame. “Watch It Fall,” Bill Monroe’s “The Old Mountaineer” and “Home” followed.” Billy then welcomed Sarah Jarosz to play mandolin and sing on a quartet of tunes from the Father Of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe, beginning with “Tall Pines” followed by “My Old Rose Of Kentucky.” The sextet then delivered the instrumental “Lonesome Moonlight Waltz” ahead of the standard “Uncle Pen.”

Sarah would depart and Billy and company went it alone for “This Old World” and “Away From The Mire.” The Drew Emmitt/Bill Nershi tune “New Country Blues” and another Lightfoot-penned, Rice-recorded tune, “Ten Degrees And Getting Colder” came next. “Turmoil & Tinfoil” sealed the second set before Billy and the band returned to encore with “Katy Daly.”

Watch pro-shot video of the first set opening songs below:

Setlist (via BillyBase)

Set One: Long Forgotten Dream, While I’m Waiting Here > Hide & Seek, Hollow Heart, Heartbeat Of America, In The Morning Light, Whisper My Name, Run Down[1], Fiddling Around[1], Ernest T. Grass[1], Secrets[1], Nothing’s Working, Cold On The Shoulder, On The Line > Train 45

Set Twp: The Fire On My Tongue > Ole Slewfoot, Watch It Fall, The Old Mountaineer, Home, Tall Pines[2], My Rose Of Old Kentucky[2], Lonesome Moonlight Waltz[3], Uncle Pen[2], This Old World, Away From The Mire, New Country Blues, Ten Degrees & Getting Colder, Turmoil & Tinfoil

Encore: Katy Daley

Notes:

1. With Mike Robinson on guitar

2. With Sarah Jarosz on mandolin and vocals

3. With Sarah Jarosz on mandolin