Billy Strings performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on Oct. 2, 2026. Matt Pang/STAFF.
Billy Strings performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on Oct. 2, 2026. Matt Pang/STAFF.
OAKLAND — Billy Strings, born William Lee Apostol, is bringing classic bluegrass into arenas without sanding down what makes the genre distinct.
Billy Strings
8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3
Oakland Arena
Tickets: $66 and up.
The three-time Grammy Award winner is touring behind new album So Much for Goodbyes with a sprawling 59-show schedule. The current leg has been his biggest run of the year.
Before doors even opened at Oakland Arena, Apostol’’s fans had created its own version of the Grateful Dead’s Shakedown Street. Vendors sold handmade goods and food across the sprawling parking lot, underscoring just how much of a traveling culture has grown around his shows.
With no opener, Billy Strings took the stage alongside his band and went straight into “In the Clear.”
From there came a blazing 19-minute version of “Turmoil & Tinfoil,” the title track of his 2017 album. Huge psychedelic lights spun from floor to ceiling, wrapping the arena in shifting colors and making the room feel like the inside of a lava lamp.
One of the first set’s highlights came with the Beatles’ “I’ll Cry Instead,” with bassist Royal Masat taking lead vocals.
Apostol has never been shy about covers, following that with Jimmy Driftwood’s “Tennessee Stud.”
His previous album, 2024’s Highway Prayers, also made a strong showing in the first set with “Cabin Song,” funky instrumental “Malfunction Junction” and the trippy “Seven Weeks in County,” which seemed to pull the arena into another universe.
That’s part of what makes a Billy Strings jam work: there are so many layers moving at once that the best option is often simply to follow and see where the song goes.
After an intermission, the band returned with “Living Like an Animal” from Turmoil & Tinfoil, giving Billy Strings another chance to stretch out near the crowd.
Banjo player Billy Failing got his own spotlight with “So Many Miles,” from his 2017 album, Calling My Trouble by Name. Video-game-like synth textures surrounded an extended banjo jam, drawing the focus toward an instrument that can easily disappear inside a full bluegrass arrangement.
Billy Strings then devoted a sizable portion of the remaining set to So Much for Goodbyes, including “Live to Tell,” “Remember to Cry” and crowd favorite “I Like Train Songs.” “Remember to Cry” brought a funky, upbeat lift to the set before he moved into another cover with Old & In the Way’s “Midnight Moonlight.”
He closed with traditional fiddle tune “Sally Goodin,” then brought the band forward for a final bow.
Follow photographer Matt Pang at Instagram.com/mattgods.
About The Author
Matt Pang continues to surround himself in photography after his love of music introduced him to it. His fondest memories include watching replays of VH1 music video countdowns. He lives in San Jose and enjoys watching the Giants in his free time.
Matt Pang continues to surround himself in photography after his love of music introduced him to it. His fondest memories include watching replays of VH1 music video countdowns. He lives in San Jose and enjoys watching the Giants in his free time.