Billy Strings — 2 Day Pass at Bethel Woods on July 31 is one of the most significant bookings of the summer in upstate New York. Strings has gone from a flatpicking prodigy in Michigan dive bars to the most important figure in contemporary bluegrass in the span of about five years, and his live shows have become the kind of events that people plan vacations around. A two-day run at Bethel Woods — the site of the original Woodstock festival — is a statement about where Strings sits in the live music hierarchy: at the very top.
The Hudson Valley venue provides the history and the capacity. Strings’s music — which ranges from traditional bluegrass burners to psychedelic jams that would make Jerry Garcia nod in recognition — deserves a stage with this kind of weight behind it. Two nights means the setlists will stretch, the deep cuts will surface, and the improvisational magic that makes Billy Strings the most exciting live performer in any genre will have room to breathe.
Tickets through Ticketmaster. This will sell out. Plan accordingly.