Billy Strings — Kia Forum, Los Angeles

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Somebody's fingers are bleeding and nobody in the building wants the set to end. That is the whole review.

Billy Strings did not modernize bluegrass. He played it so hard and so honestly that the walls between traditions stopped being load-bearing. Flat-picking at a speed that makes people laugh out loud in disbelief. Jams that wander into country Doc Watson never mapped and would have gone along with anyway. This date follows a sold-out night across town, which is the only sales figure worth quoting. An arena is a strange room for one acoustic guitar and he keeps proving otherwise.

Inglewood, doors in the early evening, seats through the usual channels.

If you have ever tried and failed to explain why a guy with an acoustic guitar is the most exciting live act in America right now, stop explaining. Buy them a seat and let the music handle the rest.