Billy Strings will bring some high-voltage picking to Austin City Limits tomorrow (Sept. 19) on PBS, and beforehand, SPIN is premiering his performance of “Seven Weeks in County” from his Grammy-winning 2024 album Highway Prayers.
Strings’ second ACL headlining appearance will also available via PBS.org, YouTube, the PBS App and the ACLTV YouTube channel. The hour captures Strings and his four-piece acoustic band — mandolin, upright bass, banjo and fiddle — in classic picking session formation, with a setlist that also includes selections from 2021’s Renewal.
On “Seven Weeks in County,” Strings tears through fiery spaghetti Western riffs, showcasing the flat picking dexterity and fearless improvisation that have made his live performances a must-see experience. The episode continues with “The Fire on My Tongue,” Frank Wakefield’s “End of the Rainbow” segueing into Dave Grisman’s “Dawg’s Rag,” and an extended “Hide and Seek” jam that tips its hat to Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child (Slight Return).”
“My name’s Bill. It’s been a thrill,” he says before signing off. Adds ACL executive producer Terry Lickona, “I’ve been a bluegrass fan my whole life, but I’ve never seen a bluegrass singer and picker sell out arenas for multiple nights or excite a crowd the way Billy does. His shows are no-frills because it’s all about the music. He keeps it simple and pure, because that’s what we need more than anything in today’s world.”
As previously reported, Strings has tour dates booked through February 2027 amid a year that saw the recent release of his latest solo album, So Much for Goodbyes. It debuted at a career-best No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and will likely be followed by a collaborative project recorded in Australia with King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.
Strings will join Phish’s Trey Anastasio for two special concerts Nov. 20-21 at DCU Center Arena in Worcester, Mass., with both artists backed by the Trey Anastasio Band. All proceeds from the shows will benefit Anastasio’s Divided Sky Foundation, which supports addiction recovery. The pair previously performed together at Strings’ 2022 show at New York’s Rooftop at Pier 17 and during an Anastasio acoustic gig in Grand Rapids, Mi., in July.
