Popular Bozeman Band Joins Famous Grammy-Winning Musicians

A Bozeman-based bluegrass band joined a Grammy-winning artist on stage at the Kettlehouse Amphitheater last Wednesday.

Billy Strings played two sold-out shows at the Kettlehouse Amphitheater on August 9 & 10. If you're not familiar with Billy Strings, the band has earned a reputation for being one of the best touring acts in the country. They have sold out almost every show on their summer tour.

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On Tuesday, August 9, Billy Strings played a high-energy show that included plenty of original songs with a few traditional bluegrass covers sprinkled in. It was a really hot day, but that didn't stop fans from letting loose and enjoying themselves. On night one, the mesmerizing talent of each band member was on full display.

The 2nd night of the two-night run was completely different from the first. At the start of the show, Billy Strings walked on stage and sat down on a stool. He told the crowd that the band's standup bass player, Royal Masat, had to leave due to a family emergency.

Despite being down a band member, Billy Strings decided to give it their all on night two.

Here's what Billy Strings said on stage Wednesday evening;

I’ve got my ten fingers, my breath, the rest of the boys, and all of you here with me, so we’re gonna go for it.

As mentioned above, the second night was completely different from the first. Instead of playing original songs, the remaining band members played a slew of cover songs that included the Beatle's Rocky Raccoon and Jeff Austin's Pretty Daughter.

At the end of the first set, Billy asked if there were any standup bass players in the crowd. That's when Paisley Gray, an audience member, emerged from the crowd and joined the band on stage for a cover of Riding on That New River Train by The Monroe Brothers. It was awesome to see an audience member invited on stage to play with the band. It was definitely one of the highlights of night two.

At the beginning of the second set, Strings played a few songs solo before inviting the rest of the band members on stage. Surprisingly, Joe Funk, the upright bass player for the Bozeman-based Kitchen Dwellers joined the rest of the band on stage. Eventually, fellow Kitchen Dwellers Torrin Daniels and Max Davies were invited out on stage as well.

The Kitchen Dwellers weren't supposed to be at the show but answered the call to fill in for Masat's absence.

It was a pleasant surprise for fans in attendance. The setlist for night two was truly one-of-a-kind and the addition of the Kitchen Dwellers was a match made in heaven.