The rock covers continue.
Billy Strings seems to have a never-ending cover list on this tour, from Black Sabbath to Doc Watson and now Alice In Chains. But hey, when you’re one of the greatest guitarists in the game right now, I suppose your repertoire can be endless.
He pulled out Alice In Chains’ “Nutshell” in his Cincinnati show recently, and after hearing this cover, you can’t have me fully convinced this tune was not meant to have a bluegrass flare.
The strings-only cover takes away the slight percussion found in the original cut of the track but adds so much more depth. The fiddle and upright bass add harmonious melodies to Strings’ acoustic.
As he breaks down the bridge into his jam session, he is SO in tune with his work. It’s almost as if he is in trace from the music he is playing, giving slight smiles throughout it all, acknowledging he knows what he is playing is damn good.
He seamlessly ties the end of “Nutshell” into his own tune, “Wargasm.” He replaces RMR’s verse from the collaborative track with a full-on jam session filled with psychedelic lights and headbanging.
When he comes back in to wrap up the 15-minute mash-up with the last chorus of “Wargasm,” the crowd goes wild.
The fact that Strings puts on shows with new tunes at each and hits countless cities throughout the tour, his energy or enthusiasm for the music never fades, amazes me.
One hell of a performer.