Musician Billy Strings has built a career on breaking rules, bending genres and keeping audiences on their toes. But even his most die-hard fans weren’t expecting what happened at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on March 2, when he and his band launched into “Shalom Aleichem,” a Hebrew prayer song traditionally sung to welcome Shabbat.
The phrase shalom aleichem literally means “peace be upon you” and is a traditional Hebrew and Yiddish greeting. The song’s most well-known melody, composed by Rabbi Israel Goldfarb in 1918, has become a staple of Jewish Friday night rituals, welcoming the Sabbath with warmth and tradition.
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Strings, who’s known for mixing bluegrass with everything from metal to psychedelia, played the song with deep reverence before blending it into “Jerusalem Ridge,” a Bill Monroe classic. The combination was unexpected, seamless and, for many in the crowd, deeply moving.
“I do sort of wish he’d spoken a bit about the origin and meaning of this song,” said Carolyn from Denver, who posted on Facebook. “But seeing it performed so lovingly by a band of this caliber during a time of such intense hatred being directed at our community… it gave me chills and brought me to tears.”
Other fans had a lighter take. “Had I known, I woulda hired these guys to play my son’s bar mitzvah!” wrote Corneilius on YouTube.
Seeing “Shalom Aleichem” performed at the Ryman, often called the Mother Church of Country Music, added another layer of significance. Billy Strings will return to St. Louis on June 13 and 14 for two shows at Chaifetz Arena, and if he takes requests, there’s already a growing chorus of fans hoping “Shalom Aleichem” makes another appearance.
Watch the performance here:
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