Billy Strings brought all the good vibes to Pechanga Arena
On Monday, September 28th, Grammy Award-winning guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bluegrass extraordinaire Billy Strings brought his Fall 2026 tour to Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California. A musical artist who defies genres and limitations, Strings has wowed massive audiences with his mind-bending guitar skills since his breakout album, Home, in 2019. At only 34 years young, the talented artist is just hitting his stride and possesses a fascinating backstory. Raised in rural Michigan, Strings was introduced to a wide variety of music at a very young age. His stepfather, Terry Barber, taught him how to play guitar and instilled in him an immense appreciation for multiple musical genres. He picked up the moniker “Billy Strings” because he effortlessly mastered multiple stringed instruments early in life. After overcoming poverty, family struggles, and addiction, he has risen to become a world-renowned musician and songwriter with a massive global following—fans who eagerly tune in to every performance, whether at sold-out arenas like Pechanga or through online livestreams and live recordings.
Billy Strings performed onstage with only four other musicians and no drummer, yet he still managed to completely captivate a packed arena full of San Diego fans—no easy task. His talented backing band featured Billy Failing on banjo, Royal Masat on bass, Jarrod Walker on mandolin, and Alex Hargreaves on fiddle, with everyone contributing rich background vocal harmonies. The group played with remarkable cohesion, feeding off each other’s melodies, improvising in real-time, and maintaining a fluid jam dynamic throughout the night. While Strings fronted the band with lead vocals and blistering guitar work, he generously shared the spotlight, giving every member room to solo and shine. Each musician was phenomenal in their own right—true masters of their craft capable of effortlessly following Strings wherever his playing led. As a guitarist, Strings was staggering to watch; his hands flew across the fretboard with complete ease. He also seamlessly engaged an array of guitar pedals and effect processors to transform his acoustic instrument into a roaring electric. Following the momentum of the release of his 2026 album So Much for Goodbyes. a recent high-profile surprise jam with Pearl Jam at Ohana Fest, and ongoing collaborations with Primus frontman Les Claypool, Strings is clearly in the midst of a career-defining era. That versatility showed on stage as the setlist shifted dynamically between traditional bluegrass covers, expansive jam-band exploration, and heavy, distortion-fueled numbers packed with raw rock energy.
The first set in San Diego included “This Old World,” “The Train That Carried My Girl From Town,” “Black Mountain Rag (Curly Fox cover),” “Hellbender,” “Ain’t Nothing to Me (Johnny Winter cover),” “Age (Jim Croce cover),” “Lay Me Down,” “Gild the Lily,” “With a Vamp in the Middle (John Hartford cover),” “Away From the Mire,” and “New Country Blues (Emmitt-Nershi Band cover).” Following a break, the band returned for set two with “Taking Water,” “Ice Bridges,” “Rank Stranger (The Stanley Brothers cover),” “Highway Hypnosis,” “My Alice,” “Just Because (Nelstone’s Hawaiians cover),” “Ashland Breakdown (Bill Monroe cover),” “Show Me the Door,” “The Fire on My Tongue,” “Black Clouds (The String Cheese Incident cover),” and “Train, Train (Shorty Medlock cover).” The whole show can be streamed or watched online here.
This concert was a truly magical experience. Outside Pechanga Arena, the pre-show lot scene was a vibrant carnival of custom tees, good food, merch, and welcoming fans—and Strings himself even wandered through the crowd to meet and interact with attendees. It is rare to witness a concert atmosphere quite like this. Between the stellar sound, immersive light production, and a respectful, high-energy crowd with plenty of room to dance, the night was superb. Billy Strings and his band remain one of the most compelling, unique live acts on tour today, and their show is an absolute must-see.