Written by Harry Kaplan

August 26, 2026 @ 11 AM – Left for the airport. It is going to be a long day of flying – Portland, OR (PDX) to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Detroit, MI (DTW). I am less than a month out of vascular surgery, so I am a little nervous. Should I go? Am I healed enough? Will the flight get me sick? Will the airplane pressure cause me problems? All questions I had. They were answered once the PDX flight took off at 2 PM. No issues. Up in the air. No pressure issues. There was no need to stress. Note for next time: be calm.

Landed at ORD. Then came the taxiing and taxiing and taxiing – 45 minutes of taxiing!!!!! My connecting flight to DTW was two terminals over, and I only had 25 minutes. In the words of Pink Floyd, you better “Run Like Hell.” And I did. I got to the terminal and the plane hadn’t arrived yet! All that running for naught. Oh well, at least I didn’t miss my connection, the last flight of the night. A two-hour delay and more taxiing followed. The taxiing at ORD took longer than the flight to DTW. Finally arrived at DTW and took a shuttle bus to the hotel. I arrived at 1:30 AM ET, felt icky and took a shower. The glass door got stuck, and I thought I was going to get trapped in the shower overnight.

August 27, 2026 @ 9 AM Woke up and decided to meet the boys (Larry from Baltimore, MD and Uel from Portland, ME) at the rental car office. I had wrangled with the best way to handle the logistics, and meeting at the rental car facility was the easiest method. Three different airlines and two different terminals. But we all found each other and rented a nice Hyundai Venue. Maybe a little smaller than we had hoped for, but still more than functional. We got in the car and drove straight away to our new home base – Lansing, MI.

Got to the hotel in 95 minutes – the Residence Inn Lansing West. A large, recently renovated 2 BR room with a full fridge and two bathrooms. The perfect landing pad for the next three nights. Found this incredible grocery store, thanks to the hotel receptionist, called Horrocks Farm Market. I call it a grocery store, but it was “oh so much more.” They had everything, including a beer garden! Yes, you can drink beer and shop for Fruit Loops! Why isn’t this everywhere? In addition to the beer garden, they had a pizza place, a burger joint and a live jazz band. It was the perfect spot, and there literally was something for everyone.

Back to the hotel at 8:30 to plan for the next day, the commencement of Billy Strings’ festival in his hometown. The parking opened at noon and the doors opened at 3. We decided to go early and get the lay of the land.

August 28, 2026 @ 11 AM – First, we had a tiny navigation issue. We kept getting farther from the final destination, not closer. How could this be? Clearly, there was a bug in the navigation software. Or so we thought. What actually happened was we went on the West ramp when we should have taken the East ramp. We turned around, had a good laugh, and our confidence in Google Maps was restored.

We arrived around 12:30 and headed straight for Shakedown Street to get something to eat. The vendor areas aren’t like they used to be in the ’80s. It is definitely more controlled now and more corporate. It is sort of like looking for stuff on Alibaba. There are many repeat products and many people selling stuff they didn’t actually make – resellers rather than producers. I still had a good time, but found myself lamenting the old days. I need to cut that out.

The doors opened promptly at 3 PM, and we staked our claim in the chair section. We got our stools in and had really good sight lines to the stage. So there we were. We hammered our flag in, and this was where we would be for the next 8.5 hours. It’s hot, but we made it! And we were inside! The hard parts were over. Now time to enjoy the show.

First, I was astounded at how many people were there. I was thinking relatively small. This was in Billy’s hometown in rural Michigan. I was expecting a small event. The official count was 30,000 people, but my instincts tell me there were at least 10K more than that. There were people everywhere, and it was a huge venue. Even with those factors, it was run extremely well. There were a few minor hiccups, but no alarm bells. It seemed like there were a lot of locals employed for the festival, so that seemed great for the local economy. And all of the staff that I encountered, with no exceptions, were friendly and did a great job.

I wanted to explore a little bit, but the number of people was too daunting, and I stayed put. I needed to conserve my energy anyway. At 4 PM, the music started with Full Cord. Well, it was supposed to start at 4. There were some technical difficulties with the sound, so the music didn’t start for another 15 minutes or so. It looked like they still played most of their set. And they were very good.

And Billy came out on stage with them, and they played a song that Billy recorded with them called “Hubris Came To Town.” I cannot say enough about Billy’s character. The music industry is extremely hierarchical, and Billy is single-handedly breaking barriers. It is no small feat. And you can tell that it is genuine. I witnessed the smiles on stage and the banter. It was real. It was not a photo op. I also clearly saw that everyone was comfortable on stage, and there was more chemistry displayed than an episode of Mister Wizard’s World.

The next act, Lindsay Lou, was on promptly at 5 PM. They were sticking to their schedule. And it was impressive. That is always the key to success of a festival. Being able to adhere to the original schedule is a big part of success. They were down to the minute. That means the whole machine was working in tandem, everyone pulling a little bit more than their weight. And it really reflected in the end product.

I had never heard Lindsay Lou’s music before. I had heard the name, but that is about it. It is hard to know everyone. No matter how many artists I cover, there is always one that slipped through and completely humbles me. Well today, it was Lindsay Lou that humbled me. What a voice and stage presence! And also an amazing band. She is also a collaborator with Billy. I really do not know when Mr. Strings gets a chance to rest. He seems to know and work with every vital artist in Nashville, Michigan, and beyond.

In 2015, Lindsay Lou released an album with her then-band, Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys, called Ionia. It was recorded in four days – can you guess where it was recorded? If you said Ionia, you are a winner. She played at least one song from that album that I clearly remember, entitled “Criminal Style.” The lyrics are very tongue-in-cheek:

“Well I love you so much if you killed someone
You could call me up
And I’d help you find a place to hide the body
Oh and if you got caught by an ambitious cop
And they locked you up for life
I’d be the first on to visit you in prison”

If this doesn’t describe true love, then nothing does. I think the ultimate test of love is the willingness to commit a crime or be an accomplice. And it is written so beautifully. I can relate to every word, metaphorically speaking.

Another band that I knew of, but had never really been exposed to their music, was the next band up – Leftover Salmon. I have known of them for about 30 years, but never delved into their music. I stayed away from all of the jam bands after the Grateful Dead disbanded due to fatigue. That includes Widespread Panic, Phish, and Leftover Salmon. It wasn’t their fault; I just needed a break, and now the break is over. I really like their construct of bridging acoustic bluegrass with more modern rock and roll. And I was pleasantly surprised.

The musicianship is superb. The band chemistry is palpable, and the drums and electric banjo give the band an edge that most other bluegrass outfits don’t have. Versatility. And the vocals and harmonies are heavenly. Another band with a strong Billy Strings connection. They have played the past two Billyweens in Baltimore and seem to cross paths with Billy at least a few times a year. I still don’t know when Mr. Strings gets a chance to sleep.

The highlight of this set was the Dolly Parton classic “Workin’ 9 to 5,” featuring the vocal stylings of Lindsay Lou. The music was phenomenal, and Lindsay Lou completely nailed the vocals like a roofer with a nail gun. I didn’t know I needed to hear that song until they played it, and then it was clear. The crowd responded in kind and was singing along to every word. It was a magic moment.

Another shout-out to the schedule. Leftover Salmon went on stage promptly, played a blistering set, and wrapped up at 7:30 PM. That gave the Strings team 30 minutes to set up for Billy and be ready at exactly 8 PM. And ready they were!

Now the stage was set for Billy Strings and company.

When they all took the stage, it was right down to business. Billy looked slightly amazed at the size of the crowd, said his “howdy,” and immediately broke into “I’m One of Those” from the album So Much for Goodbyes, which was released that same day.

He did something that was almost unheard of. He played the entire album, in its entirety, as the first set. This is usually something an artist does after a 20-year career. Steve Earle playing Copperhead Road live from cover to cover and Lucinda Williams doing the same with Car Wheels on a Gravel Road both come to mind. But they waited a long time to unveil those. Billy did it on day one.

He played a very rousing version of “Burn the Other End.” This one seems like it will be a good song for the band to really open up and do some improvisation. It is a scorcher and should see a lot of live play in the near future. “Lucid Daydream” is a song that caught my attention. It seems to be a very personal song, with lyrics that sound like a conversation with his mother, who passed away a little over a year ago. It was beautiful and heart-wrenching at the same time.

The next song, “Mill Town Flood,” was performed with Lindsay Lou, who sang backing vocals on the studio track. The next track, “Live to Tell,” was performed with Lindsay Lou singing harmony, Alwyn Robertson on drums, and Mark Lavengood on dobro. Even with all the musicians moving in and out between songs, the flow remained consistent, and all the changes were done flawlessly. The schedule was still intact.

Then the next song required a brief introduction and explanation. Prior to playing “Bluewater Breakdown,” Billy said, “We wanted to make sure this album was commercially successful – so we had to include instrumental bluegrass songs on it.” We all got a good laugh out of those comments. Whether he was joking entirely or pulling the curtain back a little on the album negotiations, the point came through. Billy wanted instrumental bluegrass on the record, and instrumental bluegrass made the record. He clearly understands the value of creative independence and has enough leverage at this point in his career to exercise it. That is pure savvy and rare for an artist in his early-to-mid 30s.

The band went through the rest of the album songs, and the first set clocked in at a hefty 92 minutes. Billy and company took a shorter break than usual, probably to make up some time and keep to the schedule.

After the short break, Billy and the boys came out with a searing version of “Dust in a Baggie.” The Billy Strings experience has gotten to the point where almost everyone is singing every word to almost every song. This is one of the most prominent songs to sing along to. And it is a great feeling to look around and see everyone within eyesight dancing and singing this song at full volume.

Then into the Gershwin classic “Summertime.” Billy and company play this expertly. This song has been in the mix since the early days and seems to be brought out between five and ten times a year. It worked extremely well in this set to establish a pace and not let the energy fizzle out too early.

Then the band went through the rest of the set until 11 PM, keeping to the schedule. Except Billy wanted to go over and play a little longer. No one in the crowd had any objections. Billy was able to get oral approval for the extra time from the mayor of Ionia, who was in attendance. So the only time the schedule went over was at the end, when Billy and the band made a management decision to forgo the curfew by about 20 minutes and keep playing. That’s integrity, and it impresses me every time I see Billy use his influence to further the fans’ experience. He also played the mayhem song “Psycho,” written by Leon Payne, who also wrote “Lost Highway” for Hank Williams. It was well played, and I can take that song off my list now.

So we made a dash for the car and got out of the lot in short order. We went the right way this time and made it back to the hotel in about 40 minutes. We were all completely wrecked. It was a long day, but a very productive day. I think all of us were asleep about 20 minutes after arrival. I slept for a good six hours straight. It was a necessity for all of us.

August 29, 2026 @ 9 AM – We ate breakfast at the hotel. Not the best breakfast we ever had, but the price was right – included. So we had some decent biscuits and made a bunch of waffles for the table. We had breakfast tapas-style, and it worked perfectly. We also discussed logistics and determined that we could leave a bit later and park in a different spot that was closer to the highway. It was Day 2 process improvement work being done at breakfast.

We got there around 1 PM and walked around a bit, but we knew the lay of the land and were able to fine-tune our plans and reduce the level of uncertainty to almost zero. Based on the food and drink lines from the prior day, we decided to eat early to avoid any long lines. The plan was working extremely well.

At 4 PM, Sierra Hull hit the stage. I have had the pleasure of seeing Sierra three times before, and she never disappoints. She can play the mandolin like ringing a bell. And her singing voice is gorgeous. She has complete command of the stage. The highlight for me was her rendition of the Tears for Fears song “Mad World.”

This is a cover that has been transformed, Johnny Cash-style. Trent Reznor said that when Johnny Cash sang “Hurt,” it became his song. Honestly, this is very similar. She transformed “Mad World” into something extremely special and made the song her own. The mando, harmonies, and vocals transform the song from something great into something priceless.

So this is where I had a little issue. I guess the heat, fast pace, and surgical recovery finally came to a head and overwhelmed me a bit. I started to feel pretty lousy and, on the advice of my good friends, ventured over to the medical tent. I want to say that I couldn’t have done this trip without the support of my two best friends and ultimate travel companions. I spent about an hour in the medical tent cooling down and rehydrating. We missed about half of the Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper set, but that break allowed me to regain enough strength for the remainder of the show.

I had never heard of Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper before, and his is a truly inspirational story. Michael Cleveland was born completely blind and lost 80% of the hearing in one ear following a childhood ear infection, yet he began learning the violin at only four years old. His extraordinary talent was recognized early, leading to appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, A Prairie Home Companion, and before the United States Congress while still in his teens. Cleveland went on to become one of the most decorated fiddlers in bluegrass, winning numerous IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year awards. He won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album for Tall Fiddler and, in 2022, received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. And once again, the set ended exactly when the schedule said it would.

Greensky Bluegrass started their set promptly at 6 PM. Another Michigan outfit with a serious connection to Billy Strings. Billy used to open for them early in his career and has played with them, and them with him, on numerous occasions. That type of support, and really not letting the music business go to his head, is such a credit to the integrity of Billy Strings.

There were a few standouts in an already great set. First was Billy sitting in on guitar for “Courage For The Road.”

A stretched-out 13-minute version that was a face melter of the highest order. Another example of chemistry on steroids. They also played two Pink Floyd classics back to back, and playing them bluegrass style is both innovative and a huge challenge. But the Greensky team completely nailed both “Time” and “Breathe.”

Now it was time for the closing sets of Billy Strings. It was raining a little bit, but this time I came prepared with a raincoat. For once in my life, I planned properly. I think they call that maturity or adulthood or something like that. Either way, I was glad I packed it. It never really rained that hard, but it was still good to stay somewhat dry.

Billy and company opened with a very spirited version of “Slow Train.” A perfect second-night opener. This is a song the boys have played over 200 times throughout the years, and it still sounds new and fresh. They clearly felt like jamming in the first set because this version clocked in at close to ten minutes. They also played a super-spacey “Highway Hypnosis” that ran about ten minutes. It was a pretty jammed-out first set, also featuring “Malfunction Junction,” “Ole Slew-Foot,” and a long and jammy “Turmoil & Tinfoil.”

The second set opened with “The Fire On My Tongue” and moved through a wide-ranging selection that included “Little Maggie,” “Escanaba,” “The Train That Carried My Girl From Town,” “Black Mountain Rag,” “With Body & Soul,” “Baltimore Johnny,” “Life To Go,” and “Someday You’ll Call My Name.” Michael Cleveland joined Billy on fiddle, while Sierra Hull appeared on mandolin. “With Body & Soul” brought together an especially impressive group, with Terry Barber on guitar, Hull on mandolin, Cleveland on fiddle, and Mark Lavengood on dobro.

The collaborations continued throughout the set. Terry Barber also took lead vocals, Paul Hoffman joined on vocals, and Greensky Bluegrass appeared during the latter portion of the set. The set eventually worked its way through “Meet Me At The Creek” and closed with “Don’t Lie.” It was very much in keeping with what I had witnessed throughout the festival: Billy at the center of his own event, but constantly making room onstage for the other musicians around him.

As the night drew to a close, Billy’s voice was shot, but he still managed to speak from the heart. With complete emotion, he told the crowd: “This means so very, very much to me. I love and appreciate each and every one of you folks for coming out to my hometown to see us play and to see all my buddies play. Thank you for coming. This has been the most amazing time ever. I will never forget this as long as I live.” Then he toasted the crowd and took a sip of water.

And that was a wrap. We hurried out to beat the remaining 30,000 people to the highway. We were pretty fast and experienced very little traffic on the way back to base camp. Again, I barely remember anything once we arrived at the hotel. I was fast asleep.

August 30, 2026 @ 10 AM – Time to drive 90 minutes back to the Detroit airport. We got in the car and drove. Then came the gas. There is nothing more nerve-racking than trying to find a gas station close to the rental-car drop-off zone. We finally found one, and the price wasn’t much different than if we had just let the rental-car company fill it up. But for next time, we know where the gas station is.

So we all hugged and kissed and said our goodbyes. Another great weekend adventure with Billy Strings and lifelong friends. In the words of the late Jerry Garcia, “Always a hoot.”