Sturgill Simpson Kicks Off The ‘Why Not? Tour,’ Lays Down Electric Cover Of Prince’s “Purple Rain”

Laying down a classic. Sturgill Simpson is beyond back, and the opening shows of his Why Not? Tour proves it. Since the release of his Johnny Blue Skies record, Passage Du Desir , fans have been eating up the new sound of the Sound & Fury singer. After stepping away from music after a vocal chord injury, many fans wondered if we'd ever be fortunate enough to get new music from Simpson. However, after taking some time off and slowly making guest appearances with other artists, he's back in the full swing of things. After returning to the main stage during the Outside Lands festival last month , Simpson officially kicked off the tour over the weekend at L.A.'s The Greek Theatre. His set lasted almost three hours and included roughly thirty songs. Did someone say concert or dying and going to heaven? Because witnessing a Sturgill Simpson set that expansive would feel too good to be true. https://twitter.com/ThatOneShowBC/status/1835317700538630624 The setlist was expansive as Simpson performed his hit songs and brought Johnny Blue Skies' music to the stage. While this combo alone makes for a stellar night, he also threw in a few covers, closing out the evening with a stellar performance of "One For The Road," leading into Prince's "Purple Rain." "The boys are back on stage kicking off the Why Not? Tour at Greek Theatre last night with some Roy Orbison, getting all of California all in their feels. Lots of surprises out there, even a 'One For the Road/Purple Rain' cover, we're still weeding through all the videos so keep on sending the good ones over and we will get through 'em eventually. Or not." https://www.instagram.com/p/C_8-VqlSB_L/ The groove of "One For The Road" sets up the groove flawlessly to lead into "Purple Rain." As Simpson wraps up the lyrics for "One For The Road," he blends the guitar riffs from that single with some of the melody of "Purple Rain," creating a brilliant blend as he and the band jam before distinctly starting the second song in the medley. As the jam session ends, they slow down the melody, and Sturgill steps back up to the microphone and begins to sing the lyrics. It does not take long for the crowd to figure out he is laying down a classic from Prince and soon begins to sing along with Simpson. Simpson took the California crowd to church with this one... it'll be the best 13 minutes of your day, guaranteed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guVWOOC8SHY