It was a big weekend for Billy Strings in Nashville.
He sold out Bridgestone Arena two nights in a row and ended his stay in Music City with an intimate show at the Mother Church, the iconic Ryman Auditorium.
It’s times like these that I kick myself for leaving the city…
And it looked… insane.
During the Friday night show, he brought out the another brilliant guitar player… Derek Trucks. One of the best guitarists on the planet, he is the founder of the Derek Trucks Band, as well as the Tedeschi Trucks Band, which he formed with his wife and blues singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi.
If you aren’t familiar with Trucks, he might look familiar… he was a member of the Allman Brothers Band from 1999 to 2014.
If that still doesn’t mean anything to you….he’s on the Rolling Stones‘ “100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time” list, so yeah, he’s damn good.
This 15-minute video of the two on stage is mesmerizing.
And believe it or not, the two had never met prior to stepping on stage together.
Strings says as he introduces Trucks to the crowd:
“It’s kind of funny meeting you here for the first time, Derek. You guys got to see me meet Derek Trucks….for the first time ever. And we’re gonna play a little bit and see what happens.
One time I said to my friend, we were sitting there playing together and I said, ‘Man, you know this is like two dogs sitting her and sniffing each other’s asses.
I’m checking out his licks, he’s checking out my licks… that’s what I think this is.”
They open with a cover of “Pickin’ Up The Pieces” by Widespread Panic, followed by “Love and Regret.”
The fact these two just met on stage blew my mind. You would have never known if Strings had not admitted it, as they were so in tune.
I have described watching Strings’ play is like watching a master at work. That was a childish statement after watching this video.
Strings and Trucks are a match made in heaven with an uncanny ability to feel out each other’s riffs and play off of them so quickly… it’s pure magic.
That is the beauty of music.
And how about a little Ryman action just for fun?
Here’s Billy Strings featuring Rob McCoury for “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.”