Sturgill Simpson has made a name for himself the past few years as a country music artist who is not afraid to defy the conventions that are attached to most modern “country” music put out these days… This is a very good thing. While it is hard to distinguish many of these homogeneous and bland acts, Sturgill stands out with his amazing vocals and unique sound that crosses many musical genres. He began this trend on his album Metamodern Sounds In Country Music, and pushed it even further with this year’s superior release A Sailor’s Guide to Earth. This album adds horns, and pairs them with heavier guitar jams. Although as Sturgill noted during the show this caused some to be “haters”, the packed concert hall and number 2 opening spot on the Billboard chart show that plenty of people are on board.
When I say the show was packed I mean it was PACKED. Maybe to a fault as a matter of fact. I went with my Dad (a nice touch as Sturgill wrote Sailor’s Guide as a message to his own young son) and luckily we got there super early. We were about 15 feet from the stage. I had seen Sturgill previously a year ago at Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth, way up in the rafters. He put on a great performance then and I expected much of the same this time. What I got instead was a more impassioned and confident show then I ever could have imagined. This being despite the fact that Sturgill admitted to suffering from allergies, as he appeared to be drinking some kind of hot tea throughout the show. Had he not said anything I would have never known.
The show started with a track by track performance of A Sailor’s Guide to Earth. This alone would have made for a great show. The inclusion of a small horn section added a great new vibe to his live performance. I was amazed at how many of the audience members seemed to know so many of the lyrics of the songs to an album that had only been released a few weeks before. His cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom” packed as much emotional impact live as it did on the record. It takes a great artist to take a heavy song and make it into an emotional ballad. Although this was the case with this song, it was also evident that Sturgill likes to rock out as well. Nowhere was this more evident than on the single “Brace for Impact (Live a Little)”. This turned into an extended jam that Sturgill clearly enjoyed creating. It was one of many times that he cut loose, looking positively giddy in response to the boisterous/ joyous noise he and his band were creating.
Following the conclusion of the new album Sturgill and his band preceded to play Metamodern Sounds In Country Music, only in reverse. It was interrupted at times by some great covers including a funky jam of Led Zeppelin’s version of “When The Levee Breaks”. This meant the second part of the set started off with the terrific psychedelic-tinged “It Ain’t all Flowers.” This is the song from the album that most foreshadowed his move towards a less conventional country song. The first time I saw him he played only a short version of the song. I was pleased to see that he involved the horns as he played songs off this album as well, even though they were not used on the original album. It added a fun new dimension to the songs that I had already heard live before. Despite the allergies Sturgill’s vocals were amazing throughout. Even though he may be including more non-country elements in his music he still possesses one of the best pure country voices ever. He also may well be the best live vocal performer I have ever seen. This may have been most prevalent on his performance of Metamodern’s opening track “Turtles all the Way Down”, although his singing was consistently stellar throughout the night.
Sturgill interacted with the crowd frequently throughout the show, going as far as to say it probably was the most he had ever done before. Among the topics he discussed were how he knew that he would not be included in the CMA (Country Music Association) or ACM (Academy of Country Music) awards, confidently stating that they would need him in about ten years and his response would be “two middle fingers.” This bold confidence seeped in throughout his entire performance. He knows that he does not fit into the typical norms of today’s Nashville expectations, and he doesn’t really care. Instead he is using it as motivation to put on forceful performances that work his audience into a euphoric fury, leaving them wanting more.
By Nathan K.
Tones OF HOME 