On Tuesday evening, Billy Strings arrived at the ExploreAsheville.com Arena in Asheville, N.C., for the first in a four-night series of live performances. The concert served as the latest entry on the fast-picker’s Winter Tour, which previously commenced in Athens, Ga. with tributes to the late Bobby Weir [covers of “Me & My Uncle” and “Cassidy”] as well as a nod to Widespread Panic’s ruby jubilee. Last night’s entry functioned as a pacesetter, giving the five-piece the flexibility to decorate their two-set display while remaining on the logical path to the night’s finish line.
Set one began with the original “Red Daisy,” before the night’s first cover, the Flatt & Scruggs-inspired “Doin’ My Time.” The aforementioned move initiated a trend that would persist with a ripple of self-penned anthems and borrowed tunes: “While I’m Waiting Here,” Bill Emerson’s “Home of the Red Fox” and “Secrets.” The band doubled up on originals by capping their Renewal pick with Highway Prayer’s “Be Your Man,” but ultimately returned to covers on Frank Wakefield’s “End of the Rainbow” fused with David Grisman’s instrumental “Dawg’s Rag.”
“Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You” provided high points ahead of the Bad Liver released “Lumpy, Beanpole, & Dirt.” During the song, Strings played with the lyrics, changing the line “I got water, grub, and crossword puzzles too” to “Some coffee, bud, and crossword puzzles too,” to the audience’s delight. For the final song of the set, the band played “Cabin Song.”…