Billy Strings returns to "Austin City Limits" for first show after breaking leg

Billy Strings returned to Austin City Limits on Thursday for his first full performance since breaking his leg while skateboarding backstage in April in Virginia. The bluegrass star taped the show with a denim jacket appearance, taking the center seat after handing his crutches to a roadie. With the Austin skyline backdrop and his band seated beside him, the session felt like an authentic “picking” gathering. Most of the set drew from his 2021 album Renewal and his 2024 release Highway Prayers, highlighting traditional bluegrass while moving away from the psychedelic and metal-tinged arena approach. Strings and his band performed two full sets with a short intermission, including the Blaze Foley cover Cold Cold World and the Southern gothic My Alice. The episode will air in September as part of ACL’s 52nd season.