Following his monstrous Meet Me At The Crypt Halloween show on Friday, Billy Strings kept his cast of special guests on hand for one more show on Saturday. The conclusion of the two-night run in Baltimore saw Billy Strings call up Leftover Salmon, keyboardist Cory Henry, and singer-songwriter Cris Jacobs for more collaborations at the CFG Arena.
After all the holiday hullabaloo the night before, it was a welcome sight to see Strings, Billy Failing, Royal Masat, Jarrod Walker, and Alex Hargreaves stroll onstage in their street clothes. Beyond that, it was a relief for all the expectations of a Halloween show to fade away and the band to get back to some old-fashioned bluegrass, including New Grass Revival‘s “Whisper My Name” and Highway Prayers standout instrumental “Malfunction Junction”. Things got a little less “old-fashioned” with a heavy, psychedelic “Heartbeat of America”, before the Crypt of special guests opened once again.
Billy Strings — “My Alice”, “Whisper My Name” (New Grass Revival), “Malfunction Junction” > “The Fire On My Tongue” — 11/1/25
“Instead of me doing it for ya, I might as well get the boys out here that done it originally,” Strings said before playing Leftover Salmon’s “Down in the Hollow”. Out came guitarist Vince Herman, banjoist Andy Thorn, drummer Alwyn Robinson, and mandolinist Drew Emmitt, the latter whom Strings introduced as his ski instructor before Emmitt took the reins on “Down in the Hollow”. Billy Failing would return the favor to the Leftover Salmon guys later that evening by sitting in with them at their Billy after-show.
Billy Strings, Leftover Salmon — “Home Of The Red Fox” (Bill Emerson), “Ole Slew Foot” (Johnny Horton) — 11/1/25
[Video: MrTopdogger]
The Leftover gang stuck around for some tributes to their shared influences, with Herman taking lead vocals on John Hartford‘s “Get No Better” and everyone getting a hand on “Home of the Red Fox”. No longer the Wolfman, Strings closed out the set with a tribute to another hairy beast, “Ole Slew Foot”.
Though the calendar flipped to November, there were still more treats in store for the final set at CFG Bank Arena. After handling “Seven Weeks in County”, “Ernest T. Grass” > “Know It All”, and “John Deere Tractor” in-house, Strings brought decorated organist Cory Henry back out. Strings and Henry had a history well before Meet Me At The Crypt, collaborating with mandolin genius Chris Thile for a 65th Street Session that pushed the limits of bluegrass even further than Billy already does on a nightly basis. Strings also enlisted Henry to supply keys on last year’s Highway Prayers, including on “Gild the Lily”, which began his five-song sit-in for the bulk of the second set.
Starting with the serene “Gild the Lily”, Henry added light, soulful electric keyboards to the dense layers of strings. Those who have seen serial special guest Cory Henry sit in with anyone can attest to his ability to adapt to any situation, including inherently acoustic bluegrass. On “Dust in a Baggie”, he added bouncy, upbeat keys like you’d hear accompanying a gospel choir, in Blaze Foley‘s “Cold Cold World” he added barroom piano, and his electric keys on “Be Your Man” fit so naturally it felt like they’d been there all along.
Billy Strings, Cory Henry — “Gild The Lily” — 11/1/25
[Video: MrTopdogger]
After wrapping the second set with “Away From The Mire”, Strings brought the whole cast of characters back out, with the addition of Baltimore’s own Cris Jacobs on guitar. With all the friends onstage and the mood at an all-time high, Strings rode off on the jovial breeze of Jackson Browne‘s “Runnin’ on Empty” before seguing into one more Phish cover (following “Wolfman’s Brother”) with “Back on the Train” to close the run.
Check out videos from Billy Strings’ Saturday night closer in Baltimore, and revisit Live For Live Music‘s recap of the Halloween spectacle here. Up next for Strings are stops in Pittsburgh, Rochester, Albany, Newark, and more. Find tickets and tour dates on Ticketmaster.
Saturday’s show is available to stream on demand via nugs. All Access subscribers can watch every remaining Billy Strings show of 2025 at no additional cost. Start streaming on nugs or sign up for a free trial here. [Editor’s Note: Live For Live Music is a nugs affiliate. Ordering your nugs subscription or purchasing a download via the links on this page helps support our coverage of the world of live music. Thank you for reading!]
Billy Strings — “Heartbeat Of America” — 11/1/25
[Video: MrTopdogger]
Billy Strings, Leftover Salmon — “Down In The Hollow” (Leftover Salmon) — 11/1/25
[Video: Todd Norris]
Billy Strings, Leftover Salmon, Cory Henry, Cris Jacobs — “Running On Empty” (Jackson Browne) > “Back On The Train” (Phish) — 11/1/25
[Video: Todd Norris]
Leftover Salmon, Billy Failing — “Doin’ My Time” (Flatt & Scruggs) — 11/1/25 (After-Party)
[Video: ricgrass]
Setlist: Billy Strings | CFG Bank Arena | Baltimore, MD | 11/1/25
Set One: My Alice, Whisper My Name (New Grass Revival), Malfunction Junction > The Fire On My Tongue, Crossing Muddy Waters (John Hiatt), Heartbeat Of America, Down In The Hollow (Leftover Salmon) [1] [2] [3], Get No Better (John Hartford) [1] [4] [5], Home Of The Red Fox (Bill Emerson) [1] > Ole Slew Foot (Johnny Horton) [1]
Set Two: Seven Weeks in County, Ernest T. Grass > Know It All, John Deere Tractor (Lawrence Hammond), Gild the Lily [6], Harbor of Love (The Stanley Brothers) [6], Dust In A Baggie [6], Cold Cold World (Blaze Foley) [6], Be Your Man [6], Gone A Long Time, Tennessee Stud (Jimmie Driftwood) [7], Away From The Mire
Encore: Running On Empty (Jackson Browne) [6] [8] [9] > Back On The Train (Phish) [6] [8] [9]
[1] w/ Leftover Salmon members Vince Herman on guitar, Drew Emmitt on mandolin, Andy Thorn on banjo, Alwyn Robinson on drums
[2] Drew Emmitt on lead vocals
[3] Last Time Played 2025-04-09 | 58 show gap
[4] Vince Herman on lead vocals
[5] Last Time Played 2025-01-26 | 73 show gap
[6] w/ Cory Henry on keyboard
[7] Last Time Played 2025-04-19 | 52 show gap
[8] Cris Jacobs on guitar
[9] Last Time Played 2024-12-31 | 76 show gap
Train songs: 1
