Billy Strings has become one of the most visible bluegrass practitioners in recent years, with his popularity exploding around the world as he and his band introduce more people to the genre. His popularity has resulted in an arena world tour, with the ICC Sydney Theatre being one of the band’s stops on their journey around the globe. 

The arena was not quite at capacity but the crowd was enthusiastic as Strings and his band walked out onto stage for a set that would span over three hours. With no opening act, Strings got straight into his magic, playing a set of originals and classic bluegrass songs. The band started with the upbeat “Taking Water” before moving into “Be Your Man” and “Long Forgotten Dream”. While Strings blended in with his band for the most part, there was no denying that his voice and guitar playing were the true standouts of the night, with the twang and power in Strings’ voice shining through the arena. 

Strings provided some exposition to the songs throughout the night but mostly let the music do the talking, with a few quips here and there to keep the audience entertained. 

“I’ve always wanted to come to Sydney,” Strings said. “I saw the Opera House in a textbook and thought it looked cool.”

Strings is an interesting case study in the intersection between fandom and mainstream popularity as he has utilised collaborations across genres to introduce classic bluegrass to newer, mainstream audiences, which has in turn parachuted him right to the forefront of the genre. Consequently, a lot of his set was paying homage to bluegrass performers who came before him with a cover of The Stanley Brothers’ “Rank Stranger”, which he described as a song that saved his life, being a particular highlight. 

Strings’ band played cohesively and with great flair, with banjo player Billy Failing often playing in tandem with Strings, whilst Jarrod Walker on the mandolin and Alex Hargreaves on the fiddle added decorative ornamentation alongside Royal Masat on bass. But the real highlight was Strings’ virtuosic guitar playing, with his command of the instrument apparent as he moved through subgenres and tones with flair and technical skill, much to the delight of the audience. 

After an interval, Strings took on some more classics with a considered version of “Summertime” being particularly well received, as the audience remained transfixed by Strings’ powerful vocals in conjunction with the superb instrumentation. While there were some technical difficulties in the second part of the show, the band handled these with grace, ensuring that the audience had a perfect experience before continuing. Whilst the show was perhaps a little on the longer side, the audience did not mind as they immersed themselves in the power of the music. The vibe was similar to Tyler Childers’ show earlier in the year, although Strings leans much more heavily into the bluegrass genre but in both cases, the performers showed off a style of musicianship that is rarely seen in Australia and the audiences absolutely loved it. 

Australia is in the middle of a country music boom and while the neighbouring genre of bluegrass does not get as much attention, there is still a very healthy following for the genre in Australia. Strings is one of the best bluegrass performers out there and, ably supported by his superb band, this was a varied show which showed the genre at its finest. One can only hope that Strings is back soon because it is very clear that there is a huge market for him in Australia. 

Rating: ★★★★1/2

Billy Strings – ICC Sydney Theatre – 17^th July 2025

Photo credit: Jesse Faatz