Royal Masat

Billy Strings kicked off his "Meet Me At The Drive-In Tour" this past weekend with three shows in Wilkes-Barre, PA at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The band has just announced a partnership with TourGigs that will give fans access to video stream the sold out Sept 16 and 17 performances from the McHenry Outdoor Theater in McHenry, IL, located just outside of Chicago.

Fans may purchase live video streams for the shows individually:

Acclaimed music photographer Michael Weintrob has announced the launch of his new streaming music & art series, Instrumenthead Live. The series comes in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to provide safe, premium concerts to music lovers everywhere.

Do you dance when you stream a show? I can’t do it. But I’ll admit, as the stage lights came up, replacing Billy Strings’ concert poster, I could feel the gooseflesh on my arms perking up. What is a full concert experience right now? Interactive? Maybe. Original? Definitely. Happening now; unfolding with, or in spite, of me. The energy on stage must be manifested in a different way. So, what is the place of the viewer? We no longer are wrapped up in the vibe we are helping to create.

It is easy to understand that musicians whose lifeblood is not only playing for a crowd but feeding off their audience’s liveliness would feel an unfillable void during these unusual times. From a fan’s perspective, they couldn’t think of anywhere better to be than with their favorite band, with that crowd, in that sacred space of connectivity. It’s hard to imagine the artists wouldn’t have that similar longing as playing for a packed music hall isn’t safe for the foreseeable future.

“Oh my god, ok, it’s happening.” – Michael Scott

With a Billy Strings show upcoming (I almost thought I’d never say that again), is it weird that the only thing on my mind is what to wear for my first concert in four months?

Grateful Web recently had the opportunity to sit down with bluegrass guitar virtuoso Billy Strings. He began putting in his time as a boy, never putting that guitar down or giving up when it got tough. His father and community fostered the bluegrass and folk spirit that runs through his veins. But Billy Strings is not your grandpappy's bluegrass band.

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