Billy Strings

Orion Amphitheatre - Huntsville, AL

I first heard about Billy Strings back in 2019 when he did a show in my hometown. Some friends went and when they came out, they wouldn’t shut up about what an incredible show it was and how they were surprised that they even liked bluegrass even though it was so much more than that. At this time, he was still an up-and-coming act barely filling out the 1900 seats in the Saenger Theater, but very soon after that show, he blew up and became too big to come back around to my lil ol town. Time passed on and I just never got around to seeing what everyone was talking about, until I met my now fiancé in late 2023 who was yet another person who would go on and on about Billy-Mother-Fucking-Strings.

For over a year now through him, I've flirted with listening to Billy but it was always a catch and release. I would listen to him rave with so much passion about the music, the good men behind it, the knock out shows they put on, and always the great and wild people of the community. He would stream shows new and old and invite me to listen, which sometimes I did, sometimes I didn’t because I wasn’t yet totally open to it. The seeds of interest were definitely sewn, but I felt like I had to be in the right space to really grow with it. I’ve been a dancer and an artist my whole life, and so because of the tempo and the constant changing of rhythm, I found it challenging to dance to and a complete turn-off while trying to create art as it felt like there was a swarm of twangy bats fluttering in my ear while I’m trying to flow like a smooth river. But I wouldn’t say I didn’t like what I was hearing at all, because as a home-grown gulf coast swamp rat who also loves the hollers of the mountains, I did feel a kinship with the sound. What I needed was to go beyond listening, I needed to experience it.

He took me to my first show which was NYE ‘24/’25 in Nola for just that night of the three night run. Gambling was the theme of the run with a pretty awesome stage production as the whole thing was built as a working slot machine which Billy passed around a little lever for people to pull and say “spin that bitch” as we watched the images roll until they settled into a trifecta that determined what song they played. Overall, I had a great time with a really fun show, enjoyed the crowd vibes, and sang along with the birds...but I wasn't quite sold…or maybe I was and I just secretly wanted more? I decided that if after the next show I wasn’t all in, then I would get off at the next station.

So I rode the rails of the Billy train with my fiancé until it stopped at the Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville to experience a full three night run. This was our second time at this venue and it had quickly become a top favorite, and lucky for us it’s basically in our backyard. Between the beautiful architecture, the perfect size, and the surrounding grounds adorned with cool art and hangout spots, you can tell that this was intentionally built with music in mind as being there feels like you’re at a mini festival. However unlike a festival, the only downside to this venue is that you can’t camp there, but that wasn’t really an issue because thanks to some helpful folk in the r/billystrings community, they recommended we stay at Monte Sano State Park about 25 mins away. As soon as we settled into our incredibly beautiful campsite, he and I knew that from now on anytime we come to the Orion for a show, we’re staying here! We had an absurd amount of room for just the two of us, our site had direct access to one of the many hiking trails, and we were blessed daily with deer walking through our camp without fear and red-tail hawks watching us from the trees. The whole experience there was made even more enjoyable because of our camp neighbors which we quickly made friends with; one of our favorite parts of music festivals isn’t even the music, it’s the community, and this band has gathered a wonderful and eclectic herd of goats.

Between the awesome venue, our perfect campsite, cool new friends, and our dead center behind the sound booth seats, it was the prime weekend for me to be converted.

Thursday was the first night and it was a chilly one but the love that surrounded us was keeping us warm. We arrived early to secure merch, explore the venue, and find our seats. After having such a good experience with our camp neighbors, we were excited to meet our seat neighbors to trade stickers and stories. Many of the people around us were only there for a night so that meant we would have all new people each time, which was both exciting and sad because it’s nice to look forward to seeing familiar faces each day. Luckily, our entire row was in it for the long haul and they happened to be local! Shoutout to everyone in row 206P, y’all made this weekend even better! I enjoyed the first night, got to hear a couple of songs I liked such as “In the Morning Light” and “Meet Me at the Creek”, but I was a too tired (and too sober) to be going too hard. Fiancé and I theorized what kind of vibe the boys would ride after opening with such a good time this night. Would it be slower and softer? Or would we blast off into the stratosphere? Honestly, there’s absolutely no way to tell with this band and I love that. Little did I know that my flabbers were about to be ghasted!

On Friday, we arrived early again this time to hit up the infamous Shakedown Street. As a cultural carry-over from the Dead days, this parking lot market full of art and food was such a cool experience. So much creativity and silliness, it was right up my artistic alley, plus as an artist, I love supporting other artists! I got a really beautiful poster and a pin, and my fiancé got a dope tie-dye shirt and a pin as well. Even though we didn’t buy it, one of the best creations we saw was an artist had carved the sound waves of Billy songs into a plaque of wood. That’s fucking awesome. But it was almost showtime so we made our way back to our seats, chatted with our neighbors, and had no expectations of how the night would go. And for that, we were rewarded with one of the wildest shows I’ve ever seen as well as many die-hard Billy fans had too. We decided to do acid this night and it was as if Billy knew that and sent us to the outer rim of the universe with god-tier guitar shredding, Royal sensually slapping bass deep from the underworld, and Alex playing the fiddle so hard that he would have definitely won it off the devil in Georgia. However, they did let us catch our breath in the middle of the madness with a magical “Gild the Lily”, which was made even more powerful by hearing everyone sing along with tears and smiles. Seriously we didn’t even need enhancements for such a performance but boy howdy hey were we glad we did! I didn’t get a single video or picture of that, I just couldn’t, we were so entranced in the moment of the music that nothing else mattered or existed. We went back to camp smiling in stunned silence because we were gunna need the rest of the night to process what the ever loving fuck just happened.

Now the final day was upon us, bittersweet but still ripe with excitement after the absolute treat we were served last night, honestly we were still processing it. Both nights we went in with no expectations but now we didn’t give two flying ducks what would be in store for us this last set, we had absolutely nothing to lose. We decided to stay at camp until showtime and visit with our neighbors to see if they still had any face left unmelted…barely. They’ve been to around 50 shows and they said that was the best one they’ve ever seen, so that’s saying something. After a while of chatting we departed and made our way back to our venue home in row 206 for one last ride. This night was akin to the first, not as heavy as night two, but certainly not slow either, especially when they played a very relevant and always insane “Wargasm” then ended the night with an “All Fall Down” that was straight from another dimension. It was truly a blessing to experience, and I have my wonderful fiancé to thank for opening my heart so my strings could be plucked and picked.

So after all these words to describe my Billy experience, especially after night two, it still isn’t enough. But everything I did write is to say that without a doubt, I have turned my ship around because I get it now. I get every pickin-jiggin-15steppin-honky-wonky-heartbreaking-soulful-trainloving bit of it. Now I understand why my fiancé has been telling me that Billy is like the Jimmy Hendrix of our generation, that this band is a legend in the making and we’re part of history witnessing it. This weekend has been one of the best music experiences I’ve had to date, and I’m definitely looking forward to meeting y’all at the creek again.