Billy Strings Debuts The Allman Brothers Band Cover In Detroit

Billy Strings continued his 2021 Fall Tour at The Fillmore in Detroit on Saturday in his home state of Michigan. Billy unveiled the Duane Allman-penned, Allman Brothers Band song “Little Martha” on the late great guitarist’s birthday.

Strings and company — mandolinist Jarrod Walker, bassist Royal Masat and banjo player Billy Failing — got the show underway with a cover of The Original Caste’s “One Tin Soldier,” a song the band debuted in 2020. Staple original “Dust In A Baggie” followed ahead of newer original “Hellbender” from Billy’s 2021 album Renewal.

A pairing of the cover “Old Train” and the title track to Billy’s 2017 debut album, Turmoil & Tinfoil came ahead of another two-song, cover/original segment of Buddy Greene’s “Riding Out The Winter” and “Doin’ Things Right.” Billy then returned to Renewal material with “Fire Line” which led into “Running The Route.” The Jarrod Walker co-write with fiddler Christian Ward, “Show Me The Door,” came next followed by another Renewal track, “The Fire On My Tongue,” to close out the first frame.

The Gordon Lightfoot-penned, Tony Rice recorded “Cold On The Shoulder” launched the second set. The second train song came in the form of “Slow Train” ahead of Renewal track “Love And Regret.” The Black Sabbath Paranoid cut “Planet Caravan” then flowed into “Hollow Heart.” “Long Forgotten Dream” would preface a cover of the Grateful Dead staple cover “Me And My Uncle.” Next, “New Camptown Races” proceeded another Grateful Dead-covered song, Johnny Cash’s “Big River.” Doc Watson’s “My Love Come Rollin’ Down” counted as the penultimate song of the second set before Billy closed it out with “Hide And Seek,” which included an “Eye Of The Tiger” tease.

The two-song encore would consist of Allman Brothers Band material beginning with the unveiling of “Little Martha.” While last night marked the Billy Strings live debut of “Little Martha,” Billy and Jarrod shared a performance video of the tune in August 2020. The acoustic guitar instrumental from 1972’s Eat A Peach — released after Duane’s death — came on what would have been Duane Allman’s 75th birthday and is the only ABB song credited solely to Duane Allman. Billy and the band would bring the evening to a close with ABB’s “Midnight Rider.”

Watch fan-shot video of “Midnight Rider” below:

Setlist (via Billy Strings Setlist Page)

Set One: One Tin Soldier, Dust In A Baggie, Hellbender, Old Train > Turmoil & Tinfoil, Riding Out The Winter > Doin’ Things Right, Fire Line > Running the Route, Show Me The Door, Fire On My Tongue

Set Two: Cold On The Shoulder, Slow Train, Love And Regret, Planet Caravan > Hollow Heart, Long, Forgotten Dream, Me And My Uncle, New Camptown Races, Big River, Love Come Rollin’ Down, Hide And Seek (1)

Encore: Little Martha (2), Midnight Rider

Notes:

(1) Eye of the Tiger tease

(2) FTP – Allman Brothers