Marcus King And Billy Strings Cover “Midnight Rider” At DelFest

At the end of May, Billy Strings performed a Thursday night show at DelFest, marking the first-ever two-set late-night show in the Cumberland, Maryland bluegrass festival’s history. During the historic performance on May 23, the young guitar prodigy pulled out all the stops, inviting a series of special guests to join him on stage, including soulful guitarist and vocalist Marcus King. Pro-Shot video of King’s sit-in with Billy Strings on “Midnight Rider” by The Allman Brothers Band has been shared by the festival.

Following up the duo’s celebrated “Kings & Strings” set at Rooster Walk Music Festival last year, King’s sit-in came during the end of the night’s second set. For the collaboration, the augmented band worked through high-energy covers on Jackson Browne’s “Running On Empty,” The Allman Brothers Band’s “Midnight Rider” and John Phillips’ “Me & My Uncle.” After the trio of songs, King departed, leaving Strings to finish out the set with renditions of “Ernest T. Grass” into “The Hobo Song,” “Dealing Despair” and “Back On The Train.”

Now, Rolling Stone has premiered Strings and King’s excellent tribute to The Allman Brothers Band from DelFest 2019. Watch the two young masters work through “Midnight Rider” below: