Watch: Billy Strings and Chris Thile Unite for First Collaborative Show, Cory Henry Sit-In

Photo via YouTube.

Last night, Feb. 1, Chris Thile and Billy Strings took the stage at Geffen Hall for a special final presentation of The 65th Street Session. In this series culmination, the mandolin master welcomed the virtuoso guitarist and special guest organist Cory Henry for an evening of blazing bluegrass traditionalism, drawing the artists back to their roots with a string of inspiring homages to the genre’s innovators. From the first chords, Thile and Strings’ instant, undeniable chemistry belied the fact that this engagement marks their first-ever billing as a duo.

To begin the performance, all three artists took the stage for a rendition of “I Am A Pilgrim,” a traditional hymn established as a bluegrass standard by the great Bill Monroe, followed by solo version of “God Is Alive Magic Is Afoot” from Thile. “Shortly thereafter, former Snarky Puppy member Henry assumed the spotlight for a solo medley of his original compositions and scattered covers, highlighted by a stirring treatment of the Beatles’ “Yesterday.” Henry returned for the end of the set, alternating between the grand piano and Hammond B-3 for gospel selections like “The Lord is Blessing Me Right Now,” which he introduced as a “song [he] used to sing back in the day in [his] family church in Brooklyn, N.Y.”

The greater setlist was composed primarily of bluegrass classics from the genre’s standard-bearers, such as Bill Monroe’s “I Am A Pilgrim,” Tony Rice’s “Nine Pound Hammer,” The Stanley Brothers’ “Harbor of Love,” Doc Watson’s “Groundhog” and living legend Del McCoury’s “Queen Anne’s Lace”. While Thile and Strings are both renowned for their progressive and even baroque approaches to the form, this set played closer to the genre’s traditional heart, featuring intimate, conversational arrangements and extended jams. After the show, Thile, Strings and Henry returned to the stage for an encore of “Am I Born to Die” and well-travelled hymn “I’ll Fly Away.”

As he NY Philharmonic’s creative partner for the 2022-2023 season, Thile has staged his The 65th Street Session series since October 2022, welcoming such guests as Cory Wong, Meshell Ndegeocello and Brad Mehldau. This culminating performance follows Thile and Strings’ 2021 collaboration on “Charm School” from Belá Fleck’s acclaimed roundup My Bluegrass Heart and their participation in Fleck’s Carnegie Hall concert for the project.

To witness this exciting collaboration, see the fan-recorded videos below. Thile and Strings will come together again tomorrow, Feb. 3, for a special performance on CBS Saturday Morning’s Saturday Sessions.

Chris Thile and Billy Strings w/ Cory Henry

Wu Tsai Theater – David Geffen Hall, New York

Feb. 1, 2024

Set: I Am A Pilgrim+, God is Alive Magic is Afoot*, Cory Henry medley&, Inner City Blues^, Salt Creek > Monroe’s Hornpipe, Nine Pound Hammer, Memories Of Mother & Dad, Lonesome Moonlight Waltz, Lay Down My Old Guitar, Groundhog, Fiddler’s Dram > Whistling Rufus > Ragtime Annie, Moonshiner, Been All Around This World, Bluegrass Stomp, Letter Etched in Black, There’s More Pretty Girls Than One, The Train That Carried My Girl From Town, What Would You Give in Exchange for Your Soul?, Molly and Tenbrooks, Stewball#, The Lord is Blessing Me Right Now#, Harbor of Love#, Sitting on Top of the World#, I Am A Pilgirm#

Encore: Am I Born To Die#, I’ll Fly Away#

Notes:

+ w/ Henry, instrumental

* Thile solo

& Henry solo

^ Henry and Thile

# w/ Henry