Billy Strings — John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, 2026

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Why this recording

On April 18, 2026, his second night at John Paul Jones Arena, Billy Strings played two full sets and then broke his leg doing a skateboard trick: no encore, and the next four dates were moved to August, according to setlist.fm. The 2 h 16 video, shot by WombatFire and posted on the artist's channel, therefore documents the last show before that break. It includes the live debut of Ronnie Bowman's “Cold Virginia Night” and a finale running “Hide and Seek” into “Train, Train” and back into “Hide and Seek”.

— Simon Janvier, live-sound professional and editor of the catalogue

Recording technical sheet

Rights-holding channelBilly Strings
Source statusOfficial — artist’s channel
Uploaded
Exact runtime
ResolutionHD (720p+)
Source qualityProfessional (multi-camera)

Metadata checked on YouTube on 29 September 2026; direction, camera setup and sound documented by the editors.

Published on September 9, 2026 by

Live concert filmed at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia, on April 18, 2026, this full concert captures American guitarist Billy Strings, a major figure in the bluegrass revival and the jam scene. A flatpicking virtuoso, the artist unfolds a sprawling set where traditional standards, original compositions and long acoustic improvisations flow together with his band, between bluegrass, folk and psychedelic rock. Published on his official channel, the capture conveys the instrumental precision and stage alchemy of a musician who now fills major American arenas. This filmed live concert illustrates the vitality of 2020s modern bluegrass and the talent of a performer reinventing the genre for a new generation. The multi-song live capture, played live, highlights the dialogues between guitar, banjo, mandolin and upright bass. A live concert to savor for its energy, spontaneity and the richness of its jams, essential for lovers of folk, americana and North American acoustic music.

Setlist

  1. Taking Water
  2. Ice Bridges
  3. Gone a Long Time
  4. Love Like Me
  5. Home of the Red Fox (reprise de Bill Emerson)
  6. Secrets
  7. East Virginia (traditionnel)
  8. Hellbender
  9. Doin' Things Right
  10. Dealing Despair
  11. Cold, Cold World (reprise de Blaze Foley)
  12. On the Line
  13. Train 45 (traditionnel)
  14. Leadfoot (début du second set)
  15. I'm One of Those
  16. Cold Virginia Night (reprise de Ronnie Bowman, première en public)
  17. Bronzeback
  18. My Alice
  19. She Left Me Standing on the Mountain (reprise des Delmore Brothers)
  20. Don't Be Calling Me (At 4am)
  21. My Love Come Rolling Down (reprise d'Eric Von Schmidt)
  22. Hide and Seek
  23. Train, Train (reprise de Shorty Medlock)
  24. Hide and Seek (retour)

Personnel & credits

  • Billy Strings — guitar, vocals
  • Billy Failing — banjo
  • Royal Masat — upright bass
  • Jarrod Walker — mandolin
  • Alex Hargreaves — fiddle
Category

What to watch next

Billy Strings appears once more in the catalogue; John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville (VA), on the other hand, holds this one recording only.

More recordings of Billy Strings