Away From the Shire Night 1: An Analysis

I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of anything as gloriously nerdy and at times so beautiful as that weekend in Asheville. I love Lord of the Rings. Its probably my favorite fictional work of all time, and Billy and the guys are definitely my favorite band of all time. I thought they would dress up as LOTR characters and maybe jam some of the music from the movies. As soon as we walked in, heard the soundtrack playing on the speakers, and saw the design of the stage we knew it was going to be something a lot more special.

Each night, they told the story of one book/film with a mix of original songs, covers, sit-ins, movie music, and insane jams. It was incredible.

Night 1 was The Fellowship of the Ring:

Let’s break down the set list. The “Intro” was Billy narrating the Prologue from the movies. Another sign that things were about to get a whole lot nerdier (and thus more awesome) than I had expected.

Then Billy and Jarrod Walker (mandolin) came out dressed as Frodo and Sam (complete with Hobbit feet, the One Ring around Frodo’s neck, a wooden pipe, and of course Sting), playing a bluegrass version of Howard Shore’s composition “Concerning Hobbits,” a.k.a. The Shire theme song. Each member of the band joined slowly in: fiddler Alex Hargreaves as Legolas (with a quiver of fiddle bows), banjoist Billy Failing as Aragorn, and finally bassist Royal Masat as Gandalf. In an exchange right out of the movies, Billy informs Royal that he is late, as he is the last to join. He replies with the fantastic line:

Then they launched right back into the Shire jam with Ahn Phung on the psychedelic flute, now starting to mix in the main Fellowship theme as well. I was pretty much in heaven, and the story telling hadn’t even really started yet.

Old Home Place (The Dillards)

Eventually they jammed into the first song of the night, “Old Home Place” by The Dillards, an older bluegrass tune about leaving your countryside home. It fit tonally with the Shire jam, and was a perfect way to set the scene: we were in the Shire, but would be leaving for the first time very soon.

Home (Billy Strings)

Here they continue the Shire theme, but this time with a much darker tone. “Home” is one of Billy’s heavier and more intense songs (as well as a pretty awesome jam), hinting at the terrible things to come throughout their journey.

Happy Birthday/Flaming Red Hair (Howard Shore)

Bilbo’s 111th (eleventie-first) birthday party is the first major event of the Fellowship. After playing the Birthday song, Billy and the band launch into the birthday party music from the film, a sort of Scottish jig that was incredibly fun to hear live.

Secrets (Billy Strings)

This song, one of my favorites of Billy’s originals, clearly refers to the classic line “Keep it secret, keep it safe” from Gandalf to Frodo when discussing the Ring.

A Walking Song (J.R.R. Tolkien/Billy Strings)

I think my jaw dropped when they started playing this one. As soon as Billy sang “The road goes ever on and on” I realized they were playing a bluegrass version of the Walking Song from the books. A few versions exist throughout the legendarium, but the words Billy sang are first sung by Bilbo in The Hobbit, and later when Bilbo embarks on his journey to Rivendell after escaping his party.

Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains in the moon.

Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green
And trees and hills they long have known.

This is so unbelievably cool. They took one of the more popular poems from the book and turned into an awesome bluegrass song. This wasn’t the first time anyone had put it to music; the 1977 Rankin/Bass Hobbit movie (dare I say masterpiece) had a genuinely wonderful soundtrack by Glenn Yarborough. Track 4 is called “Roads,” and is a totally different interpretation of the song than Billy’s. And beyond it just being awesome that they were playing a song Tolkien wrote, the storytelling continues. Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin have begun their journey out of the Shire to meet Gandalf at the Prancing Pony in Bree. But the last couple verses in the song hint at who they would actually meet:

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

This is another poem by Tolkien called “The Riddle of Strider,” and describes Aragorn. For Billy’s version of “A Walking Song,” they added these verses to the end for an incredible bluegrass arrangement of Tolkien’s beautiful writing.

Away From the Shire (Billy Strings)

It was time for the title track. Our little party of hobbits was leaving the Shire. We knew they would play this at some point, as it was the name of the whole event, and it made sense to do it now. Mire is always dope and that night was no different, especially with the balloon drop and lights.

Travelin’ This Lonesome Road (Bill Monroe/Mac Wiseman)

Pretty self explanatory. Given that a significant chunk of The Lord of the Rings is people walking around Middle Earth, there were unsurprisingly a lot of songs about rambling. Also how cool is Billy Strings covering Bill Monroe in order to tell Tolkien’s story? How would Bill Monroe feel I wonder…

Hide and Seek (Billy Strings)

The Ringwraiths have caught up to our tiny heroes. “Hide and Seek” is a dark, gritty song about suicide that fits the tone perfectly for the hobbits on the run from the murderous Nazgûl. At this point in the story, the hobbits have not yet made it to Bree or met Strider; they are still on their own, “hiding” from the Black Riders and “seeking” Gandalf who they have been instructed to meet. The jam is intense and spacey and builds the tension perfectly up to a drop back into the grass-ified Shire and Fellowship theme songs. During the fiddle solo, Alex even teased some of the sort of “ancient elves” motif that Howard Shore uses in parts of the soundtrack (the beginning of this song when the Elves arrive at Helm’s Deep shows what I’m talking about, which is about at 11:15 during Hide and Seek [archive link here]). All in all, dope way to end the first set of the weekend.

Gollum’s Nasty Nasty (Rushad Eggleston)

The second set began with the introduction of another important character (and musician!): Gollum, a.k.a. Smeagol, a.k.a. Rushad Eggleston. Rushad is a very skilled, very weird, very awesome cellist who is buddies with Billy and dressed in a full body paint, loincloth, and mask to bring a lot of joy to a lot of hippies. Rushad apparently calls himself “The Cello Goblin” so he was perhaps the most perfect choice possible for this role. “Gollum’s Nasty Nasty” was basically just Rushad jumping around stage making crazy noises with his cello and yelling. Beautiful stuff.

Midnight Rider (The Allman Brothers)

Billy doesn’t play the Allman Bros too often, but this was an excellent cover of a classic (and fitting song). After a brief set break and Gollum’s introduction, the story picks up where we left off, with the Hobbits running from the Nazgul through the night. Hence, “Midnight Rider.”

Wild Horses (Gram Parsons/The Rolling Stones)

Another horse song cover! This time, though, not about the Black Riders, but the Inn of the Prancing Pony. The hobbits have successfully made it to their reconnaissance point in Bree with Gandalf, only, Gandalf is nowhere to be found, and instead they find a new companion in Strider.

Heartbeat of America (Billy Strings)

Ok so this is pretty much the only song I’m not sure about. Honestly, I’m not really sure what the song is about (tripping? COVID? growing up?), but its an awesome jam (perhaps consistently my favorite of Billy’s solos), and we were very happy to hear it at the show.

All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan)

Amon Sûl, or Weathertop, is where the hobbits and Aragorn first face the Nazgûl in battle. By the time of The Fellowship of the Ring, there are only ruins left, but it used to be a watchtower for the great Dúnedain kingdom of Arnor, and even housed a palantir. Thus, “All Along the Watchower”. Also, according to billybase.net, this was the only time they’ve ever played it. Pretty cool.

Poor Ellen Smith (Traditional)

At Weathertop, Frodo is stabbed in the shoulder by the Witch King and receives a possibly fatal wound. “Poor Ellen Smith” is a traditional bluegrass murder ballad with the chorus line, “Poor Ellen Smith how she was found \ Shot through the heart lying cold on the ground.” Billy’s LOTR version goes “Poor Frodo Baggins how was he found \ Stabbed through the heart lying cold on the ground,” similar to how he changed the lyrics in “Old Home Place” earlier in the night. More songs would become LOTR-ified as the weekend went on, and it was awesome.

Whispers of the North (Gordon Lightfoot)

These next two songs tell the story of Aragorn and Arwen, who both help to ultimately rescue Frodo and bring the hobbits to Rivendell, where we learn about their history and ongoing love story. Aragorn is a Dúnedain Ranger of the North, a member of a special bloodline blessed with long life and heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Gondor. “Whispers of the North” is a really beautiful song that captures Aragorn well:

Whispers of the north
Soon I will go forth
To that wild and barren land
Where nature takes it’s course
Whispers of the wind
Soon I will be there again
Bound with a wild and restless drive
That pulls me from within
And we can ride away
We can glide all day
And we can fly away

Whispers of the north
Soon I will return again
To those endless afternoons
In sunshine and in rain
Whispers of my love
Days and weeks on end
I will share my thoughts of her
In prayers that I will send

And we can ride away
We can glide all day
And we can fly away

A rambling man from the North, traveling the rugged wilderness, with a far away love: it’s Aragorn.

Love and Regret (Billy Strings)

Another pretty song that is perfect for Aragorn and Arwen’s relationship. It is a sort of forbidden love, since Arwen is an elf and Aragorn is a man, and she will lose her immortality if she chooses to be with him. Most of the elves have left Middle Earth for the Undying Lands in the West (essentially Tolkien’s version of heaven), and Arwen’s family would have her go there as well. Aragorn, too, loves her too much to be the one that essentially kills her, and pleads with her to go West. When the Fellowship leaves Rivendell, Aragorn believes he has said goodbye to Arwen forever, and is filled with love and regret.

High on a Mountain Top (Traditional)

With the Council of Elrond completed and the Fellowship formed, our party of nine travelers has made it to the Pass of Caradhras, a snowy high elevation route through the Misty Mountains. They are, quite literally, high on a mountain top.

Ice Bridges (Billy Strings)

This one is instrumental, but continues the journey through Caradhras, until they must turn around due to Saruman conjuring a storm to destroy the Fellowship while they are exposed, bringing huge chunks of ice and snow down onto the party. It becomes too dangerous, and they are forced to take the route under the mountain.

Dark as a Dungeon (Merle Travis)

Dwarrowdelf. The mighty Mines of Moria. The great Dwarf-realm of Khazad-dûm. Many names for what was one of the most famous and grand dwarven realms in Middle Earth, where some of Gimli’s kin lived. After being foiled by Saruman, the Fellowship is forced into the Mines in order to cross the Misty Mountains. “Dark as a Dungeon” is a song about the coal mines of Kentucky, comparing the miners in the dangerous and depressing mine to prisoners in a dungeon, an apt description for the state of Moria when the Fellowship arrives. No dwarves remain; they have all been killed and overrun by goblins and orcs, who were in turn overrun by something much worse.

Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash)

After “Dark as a Dungeon,” the band started a dark, fast-paced jam that peaked with Royal yelling “You Shall Not Pass!” Gandalf fighting the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm is perfectly captured in this intense jam, but the music eventually slows and ends with a whisper: “Fly you fools.” Gandalf has fallen into the darkness, into a burnin’ ring of fire. Naturally, Royal sang the Johnny Cash classic.

In the Pines (Traditional/Bill Monroe)

Having escaped the Mines of Moria, the Fellowship passed into the elven realm of Lothlorien, under the reign of the powerful Galadriel and Celeborn. Lothlorien is a beautiful forest that is captured nicely by this traditional Bluegrass song. One of the more famous renditions was done by Bill Monroe, but perhaps the most famous one was Nirvana’s unplugged performance titled “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?”

Meet Me at the Creek (Billy Strings)

With boats gifted from the elves, the Fellowship takes to the waters of the Anduin River — the beforementioned creek — and eventually battle Saruman’s Uruk-Hai that have been in pursuit for days at the watchtower of Amon Hen, on the banks of the river. “Meet Me at the Creek” always has some serious jams, and with the addition once more of Rushad and Ahn on the cello and flute, the fantasy atmosphere was perfect. The band jammed into Howard Shore’s music a few times as the Fellowship fought the orcs. Highlights include Ahn’s psychedelic flute (including some wild back and forth with Billy), Billy Failing’s usual Creek solo, and Rushad keeping it weird. A classic second set closer that happened to be in the perfect place for the story of the Fellowship of the Ring.

Will the Circle Be Unbroken (Traditional/The Carter Family)

The Fellowship is broken. Boromir dead, Merry and Pippin taken by Uruks (though with Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas in hot pursuit), and Sam and Frodo heading to Mordor alone. The outlook seems bleak for our tiny heroes. “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” is one of the original bluegrass songs, a Christian hymn adapted by The Carter Family in 1935, and has since become a country music staple. Its a classic encore song for Bluegrass bands, so it fit perfectly into this slot in the setlist. Clearly it is also a reference to the breaking of the Fellowship, but the lyrics go even deeper. The song is about the passing of someone’s mother, and a wondering about what lies beyond. Will the circle be unbroken? Or is there just nothing? Will the Fellowship be healed? Can they defeat such reckless hate? Guess we will find out in night two!