Billy Strings Joins Les Claypool at First Show Since Breaking Leg

After breaking his leg in a backstage skateboarding accident in April, Billy Strings returned to the stage Sunday night (May 31) at Les Claypool’s concert in Detroit. 

The celebrated bluegrass musician joined Claypool onstage during the Primus portion of his Claypool Gold show (which featured music from across Claypool’s vast catalog). For Strings it was a literal sit-in appearance: still not in full rock & roll condition, the musician posted up on a stool during his cameo. 

In a fan-shot clip, as Strings sits down and tunes up, Claypool jokes, “Don’t hurt yourself now,” prompting Strings to playfully lift his still-healing leg. But obviously because you don’t really need the lower half of your body to shred, the injury didn’t hinder Strings’ contributions as he ripped some wild solos on two Primus tracks, “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver” and “Too Many Puppies.”

Strings is a longtime Primus fan and has since become friends, and fishing buddies, with Claypool. The two have performed together on several occasions and, at one point, were photographed together in Claypool’s home studio, though they’ve yet to release anything. (Strings did feature on a song Claypool and Gogol Bordello‘s Eugene Hütz released in 2022.)

For Strings, last night’s concert marked his first time onstage since he underwent emergency surgery after breaking his left fibula and tibia while attempting a skateboard trick backstage after a concert in Charlottesville, Virginia. In a post on Instagram at the time, Strings said he first had “every intention” of playing the last four gigs on his North American tour by “Dave Grohling it,” referring to the throne the Foo Fighters frontman used after breaking his leg in a 2015 stage fall.

Grohl “even texted me and offered me the throne,” Strings remarked, before acknowledging his ultimate decision to postpone the gigs. “I really don’t want to let anybody down, but after some long talks with these doctors, my friends, band and colleagues, my wife etc. I should probably let this thing heal.”

Strings will look to return to the road at full strength in July when he kicks off a North American tour. The trek will include the rescheduled shows he had to postpone because of his injury, as well.