Article Contributed by Rich Gastwirt
Published on 2026-07-23
Jarrod, Royal, Billy, Billy, and Alex | Boston, MA | July 22nd, 2026 - photos by Rich Gastwirt
Billy Strings carefully took the stage, aided by a cane, for night two of his sold-out pair of shows at Boston’s Agganis Arena. Aside from that and a few songs performed while seated, there was little indication that he was still healing from his skateboard mishap.
Several of the fans along the barricade had lined up on Monday afternoon for Tuesday’s show, and as soon as the final notes rang out, they returned to secure the same spots for Wednesday’s performance.
The show opened with a high-octane version of “Bronzeback,” and “Secrets” kept up the pace. In the middle of the first set, the band left the stage, and Billy performed three songs solo: “Catch and Release” and “Sorrow and Me” on acoustic guitar, followed by “Georgia Buck” on clawhammer banjo.
Billy Failing then joined him for “Dos Banjos” before the rest of the band returned and the music became considerably more psychedelic. That was especially true during the first-set-closing “Thunder,” which teased Jimi Hendrix’s “Third Stone From the Sun.”
On a personal note, I had forgotten how much I love a venue of this size because few touring artists play rooms like this anymore—large and comfortable, but not overwhelming or impersonal. I’ve caught Billy eight or 10 times since he started playing Boston, from a 300-person bar to arenas, and while the production value has increased, his connection with his fans remains every bit as strong.
