Billy Strings Summons “Thunder” On A Stormy Night In Rochester [Videos]

After a two-night party in Pittsburgh, Billy Strings and his band made their way up to Rochester, NY, for the first time since 2022, delivering a Tuesday show highlighted by the first “Thunder” of the fall tour.

Outside the Blue Cross Arena—host of ten Grateful Dead concerts between 1973 and 1985, and one Rolling Stones concert that lasted only 7 minutes after a riot broke out—snow whipped in all directions as thousands of fans poured in, eager to see what surprises the now eight-time Grammy nominee had in store. When the clock struck 8, Strings, Jarrod Walker, Royal Masat, Billy Failing, and Alex Hargreaves were off to the races.

The set opened up with a scalding “Wargasm”, setting the tone for the rest of the night. A tender “In The Morning Light” soon followed before the band summoned John Hartford’s “Windows” out of their large bag of spells for the first time since July 27th, 2024, a 108-show gap (per Billybase).

Billy Strings — “Wargasm” — 11/11/25

As the heartfelt picking of the tune went on, the tone got a bit more sinister as it started to transition. The jam started as a faint echo, but slowly this brewing concoction got more and more intimidating. Carefully, master chef Billy threw all sorts of devious ingredients in the pot, and after a few minutes of furious stirring, the arena erupted as the unmistakable opening riff of “Thunder” boomed through the speakers.

The Robert Hunter-penned tune, originally given to Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann and performed sparingly by his band BK3, never found a proper home until Strings took it on after sitting in with Kreutzmann’s Billy & The Kids in 2021. Since then, “Thunder” has accumulated a mythical status among billy goats for its rare but powerful strike.

Billy Strings — “Windows” (John Hartford) > “Thunder” (Robert Hunter) — 11/11/25
[Video: Laura Dowling]

The first set closed with a playful banjo duet on “Dos Banjos”, featuring dos Billys—Strings and Failing—before Strings stayed on stage solo for a medley of traditional fiddle tunes that flowed into “Catch and Release”.

The second set brought more soulful tunes, starting with a particularly haunting intro on “Home” and including the Doc Watson-favored traditional “Alberta”. Masat’s commanding bass playing brought the energy on “Heartbeat of America” and then signaled the start of “Gild the Lily”, which featured a decisive solo from Hargeaves on the fiddle.

A cosmic “Away From The Mire” lead into a twisting jam of “Living Like An Animal” into “The Cuckoo”, and the set concluded with “Seven Weeks in County”. The jam-packed arena beckoned for more, and the band returned for an encore of “We Shall All Be Reunited” and “Roll On Buddy, Roll On”.

Billy Strings’ fall tour continues tonight right down I-90 in Albany, New York. Tickets are sold out on Ticketmaster, but you can poke around on CashorTrade, StubHub, and Vivid Seats. Or, you can watch all of Billy’s remaining 2025 tour dates live with a nugs All Access subscription. 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 — “Dos Banjos” — 11/11/25
[Video: El Kapitán]

Setlist: Billy Strings | Blue Cross Arena | Rochester, NY | 11/11/25

Set One: Wargasm, West Dakota Rose (Chris Henry), In The Morning Light, Windows (John Hartford) [1] > Thunder (Robert Hunter), California Sober, My Alice, The Fire On My Tongue > Know It All, Dos Banjos [2], Give The Fiddler A Dram (Traditional) [3] > Whistling Rufus (Kerry Mills) [3] > Ragtime Annie (Traditional) [3], Catch and Release [3]
Set Two: Home, On The Line > Train 45 (Traditional), Alberta (Traditional), Gone A Long Time, Heartbeat Of America, Northern White Clouds (Bill Monroe), Gild the Lily, Away From The Mire, Living Like An Animal > The Cuckoo (Traditional), Seven Weeks in County
Encore: We Shall All Be Reunited (Newton S. Sitzlar), Roll On Buddy, Roll On (Traditional)

[1] Last Time Played 2024-07-27 | 108 show gap
[2] Dos Billys (Billy Strings on clawhammer banjo and Billy Failing on banjo)
[3] Billy Strings solo