Billy Strings charms GR with kaleidoscopic bluegrass

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Michigan’s bluegrass hero returned Friday to Grand Rapids for the first of two jam-packed, epic nights at Van Andel Arena, while expressing love for his home state. The review, photos and set list at Local Spins.

The Ever-Mesmerizing Billy: The guitarist had many dancing throughout the night on Friday. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)

SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTOS, SET LIST WITH BONUS COVERAGE HERE: The Loving Billy Strings Ecosystem

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For those uninitiated in the bluegrass universe of Billy Strings, his stratospheric success in a genre once relegated to a cubbyhole of Appalachian music and backporch pickin’ seems incongruous, especially considering the pervasiveness of pop music, mainstream country and rap.

But take one step into that world in an arena filled with rabid fans of all ages and something transcendent happens – newbies are transformed – as this virtuoso guitarist from a tiny Ionia County town masterfully melds the traditional and the non-traditional with equal measures of on-stage passion.

Toss in the fact that Friday’s concert at Grand Rapids’ 12,000-capacity Van Andel Arena was the first night of two straight, super-sized homecoming celebrations for the Michigan native and things were primed for an unprecedented spectacle that pinned the needle on the exhilaration meter and had many devotees dancing non-stop all night.

Actually, ever since tickets went on sale for these “hometown” shows, anticipation has grown for the late May run taking place just a stone’s throw (or 10) from the place where Billy grew up and first put fingers to frets. It’s something he referred to often on Friday from the stage, acknowledging the West Michigan communities “that have shown me support ever since I was a little kid. I just want to let you know that I really love representing Michigan all around the country.

Billy and His Top-Shelf Band: Illuminated by brilliant lighting on Friday. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)

“We play lots of gigs and we don’t get to come here enough and we get to missing you guys. Thank you all so much for choosing to spend your evening with us and to come out to hear some music; that really means the world to us.”

Not only was it “good to be back home” to see friends from the area, but the guitarist reminisced about his favorite Ionia County fishing spot and gave a shoutout to the small venues he played “back in the day” — Skelletones, The Mixtape and The DAAC — while “picking up records from Vertigo (Music), which is still there.”

For avid fans, the love he expressed was mutual, as evidenced by the hoopla this week — a street party in Ionia, vendor marketplaces and pre-show performances in Grand Rapids that included Billy’s buddy, Mark Lavengood, playing as part of an all-star quartet at a busy Founders Brewing. It just added to the fervor that feeds on the Billy mystique while building a welcoming community of like-minded souls who tail him across the country.

(The vendor marketplace and “Pickin’ at the Courtyard” event at the nearby Courtyard by Marriott that preceded Friday’s concert, along with that “unofficial” pre-party at Founders, are set to be repeated for the second Van Andel concert on Saturday.)

PROUD TO BE HOME, PROUD TO PERFORM WITH A STELLAR BAND

So, Friday’s arena show itself — a brilliant two-and-half hour gem — proved unequivocally that Billy Strings is in a class of his own. That was on display from the early strains of “The Fire on My Tongue” and “Hide and Seek” to a scintillating cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Love or Confusion,” followed by the psychedelic genius of “Away from the Mire,” to his solo work on Doc and Merle Watson’s “Let the Cocaine Be” to “Dust in the Baggie,” “Wait a Minute” and “Roll On Buddy Roll On” that close it all out.

Joined as always by top-shelf bandmates banjoist Billy Failing, mandolinist Jarrod Walker, bassist Royal Masat and fiddler Alex Hargreaves, and enhanced by remarkable lighting, the Friday hoedown unleashed electrified, chest-rattling, progressive bluegrass that simply has no peer. It’s the sort of experience that can send shivers down your spine, deliver untold awe to your brain, bring tears to your eyes and make you laugh out loud at the same time.

Fervent Fans: The lineup outside Van Andel Arena. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” my friend Don Clapham remarked at one point. “It’s like a new genre of music.”

Billy Strings’ virtuosic, lightning-quick prowess alone deserves consideration as his generation’s Eric Clapton or Jeff Beck. But credit also belongs to each instrumentalist in his band, each pushing one another to new heights, from elevating Doc Watson classics to romping through the psychedelic-tinged rock of “Home,” with Billy once again turning his acoustic guitar into an electric axe of shredding delight.

“I’m proud to be here and I’m proud to be on stage with these fellers,” the guitarist said as the evening concluded, then sat quietly at the corner of the stage following the encore and after his bandmates had departed, just soaking in the cheers of 12,000 fans while realizing just how far this kid from Muir had come.

And Billy and his homies are only at the halfway point. Round 2 — another sold-out arena affair — commences tonight.

PHOTO GALLERY: Billy Strings at Van Andel Arena
Photos by Derek Ketchum