Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were a few ways lots of artists handled their return to full-fledged performing and touring.
Most artists, including Sturgill Simpson, hit the road as hard as they could, as quickly as they could. For Simpson, he had lost time to make up for after his A Good Look’n Tour was canceled due to the virus (as well as his infection with it). Unfortunately, hitting the road as hard and as quick as he did led to a hemorrhage and rupture of his vocal cords. For the second time, the wind had been taken out of his touring sails.
As the story goes, sitting at home not being able to sing didn’t suit him well so he went off the grid. He traveled all around Europe and Asia, taking a specific liking to Paris. This time of travel and soul searching inspired a brand new album, Passage Du Desir, under a new moniker, Johnny Blue Skies. And of course, a tour announcement coincided with the album’s announcement.
They say that the third time’s the charm and with double the time to make up, Simpson and his band have been more than doing that all over the country for the past two months. Their shows are rock and roll spectacles to behold, reaching nearly three hours and 30 songs every night, as well as incredibly different setlists each night, Simpson is one of the most exciting tours of the year.
However, with a tour as ambitious and as varied as his Why Not? tour this year has been, I was curious to see how it would translate to a festival setting with a shorter timeslot. Even more so when 20 minutes were cut off of his timeslot on Sunday morning, hours before he was set to take the stage. Maybe there was a little more fire under them because of that, but Simpson and Co. spent the next 90 minutes taking advantage of every second they had on that stage.
Hitting the stage the second Kehlani wrapped up her set on the Miller Lite Stage, Simpson, accompanied by guitarist Laur Joamets, bassist Kevin Black, drummer Miles Miller, and organist/utility man Robbie Crowell, walked on stage, plugged in, tuned, and launched into A Good Look. They did not stop for another break until the end of Call To Arms, 90 minutes and a blown curfew later.
It seems like every year, there are dozens upon dozens of comments under the ACL lineup announcement asking where the guitars are and where the rock bands are. In a way, it felt like Sturgill stepped up to answer those calls despite Blink-182, Something Corporate, Movements, and so many other great rock and roll bands being on the bill.
However, in another way, it also feels like Simpson’s continued rejection of being labeled a “country” star or an “outlaw.” The only song in the setlist that still sounded remotely country was I Don’t Mind, a song from his first band, Sunday Valley, and re-recorded for the first volume of his Cuttin’ Grass series. Outside of that, every song felt much heavier, much louder, and much more fleshed out. And oddly enough, no material saw more benefit from this than the songs performed from Sound & Fury, Simpson’s most rock-focused album to date.
From a faster and more guitar-based rendition of A Good Look to open the show, a half-time breakdown in the middle of Best Clockmaker on Mars, and an absolutely face-melting rendition of Fastest Horse in Town, all of these songs soared to new heights during his set.
But if I’m being honest, there wasn’t a single song in the setlist that didn’t benefit from the live setting and being played by an absolutely killer five-piece band. Would it have been cool to hear a horn section on a song like Brace for Impact or Welcome to Earth? I guess, but when it was stripped down to the bare essentials, they still ripped just as hard and still kept the grooves intact.
The highlight of the night for me, though, came near the very end of his set. ACL and the City of Austin enforce a 10 PM curfew for the festival due to houses all around Zilker Park. At 9:52, Simpson and his band launched into One For The Road, the final track on Passage du Desir. A tempo change and extended guitar solo later, Simpson and his band let the final notes of the song ring out at 9:59.
Normally, an artist would call it there or would’ve already called it a few minutes before for fear of fines. Simpson had none of that. He turned around, checked the clock on his right, saw the time, then at 10 PM on the dot, launched straight into Call to Arms and sent the crowd into a frenzy. Every time you thought they were done or would slow it down, they’d bring the riff back and knock you flat on your ass again. As a closing number, it was absolutely perfect and the jolt of energy I needed right at the end of the festival.
Who knows what made Sturgill want to tour again? After years of saying in interviews that he hated it and that he was gonna quit doing it, we may never know what changed his mind. According to him it was falling in love with Grateful Dead and getting to sit in with Dead & Co. In my opinion, though, I think it’s shedding the weight of the past two failed attempts at touring and making up for lost time. Playing until he’s dragged off stages, touring with one of the most talented groups of musicians on the planet, and just shredding like there’s no tomorrow.
The third time has been more than just a charm as Simpson’s Why Not? tour is one of the most exciting that you’ll find all year. There is no reason he shouldn’t be high on your radar if he ever comes to your area (which, for Austin-based folks, includes a headlining set at Two Step Inn on April 6, 2025, which goes on sale today).
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