Man, I wish I was in Athens, GA this weekend. Billy Strings and company descended upon the college town yesterday for the first of a two night stand at the brand new Akins Ford Arena near the University of Georgia campus. The first shows of the year for Billy Strings, all signs were pointing towards a legendary evening in the Classic City as he and the band kicked off their Winter 2026 tour. For anyone who may not be familiar, Athens has a rich music history. The esteemed list of bands and artists that got their start in the town date back to 1976 when rock group The B-52s began playing together, followed by R.E.M. in 1980, Widespread Panic in 1986, Drive-By Truckers in 1996, and plenty more in the years between and since. Even country star Megan Moroney got her start while a student at UGA nearly a decade ago. A community that values music and is known to show out for live events, and one that especially holds close the artists with ties to the city, Strings’ shows this weekend conveniently coincide with the 40th anniversary of southern rock / jam band royalty Widespread Panic – A group that he has long been an outspoken fan of. The last time he played live was even with Widespread Panic, sitting in for a legendary New Years Eve run in Atlanta. Given that context, no Panic cover seemed off limits for this weekend, and Strings was certainly prepared to start off his tour in fashion. Accordingly, he kicked off the first set with the traditional bluegrass tune “Bringing in the Georgia Mail,” and closed it with a cover of Panic’s “All Time Low” sandwiched between his own “Turmoil and Tinfoil” and “Heartbeat of America.” While I wasn’t in the crowd last night, unfortunately, I can only imagine the vibes were uncontrollably high going into the intermission, and the band kept the good times rolling for the remainder of the show. Given that this was also Strings’ first show back since the passing of one of his musical heroes in Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir, fans had in the back of their mind that he may do something to honor the late great. But those who follow the band closely likely knew not to get their hopes up. For much of his early career, Billy Strings covered quite a few Grateful Dead songs in his live show, and fans grew particularly fond of his Dead covers. But following a show alongside Weir at the Ryman Auditorium in 2022, he stopped working those into his set, and was infamously quoted later in 2023 saying that there were “just too many pigs on the teet,” as many bands were riding the coattails of the Dead’s legendary songbook and the constant fan requests for Dead covers became tiresome. For over three years, Strings didn’t cover a single Grateful Dead song, that is until he started off his encore last night with a magical cover of “Me and My Uncle,” and carried that over into an emotional rendition of “Cassidy,” the Dead classic penned by Bob Weir himself. Check those videos out below. Absolutely legendary. “Me & My Uncle” “Cassidy” There was a noticeable buzz going into this show given all of this context, but I think it’s safe to say Strings exceeded expectations last night, and it’s going to be a tough one to follow up tonight. I’m sure he will find a way to make it happen, though. And while we’re on the subject, check out his cover of Widespread Panic’s “All Time Low” from last night as well. The post Billy Strings Honors Bob Weir With Legendary Grateful Dead Covers in Athens, Georgia first appeared on Whiskey Riff.