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This May, Sturgill Simpson returned to Charlotte for the first time since 2020 to perform in front of 5,000 country music fans at Skyla Credit Union Amphitheater. He blew the crowd away with one particularly viral rendition of Prince’s “Purple Rain.”
The latest Queen City concert offered a stark contrast to his first show in the area, which came more than a decade ago. It’s incredible how quickly time flies!
Simpson was in North Carolina Tuesday as part of his Who The F— Is Johnny Blue Skies? Tour. He played in front a sold-out venue, something he’s now grown accustomed to given his still-rising fame.
His psychedelic twist on the country sound has drawn fans in. That was evident upon his drop of the 2024 Passage Du Desir album, some of which was played in his most recent show.
Johnny Blue Skies gave fans a mix of new and old in his Charlotte setlist. He blew listeners away with his “Purple Rain” cover.
@clture Sturgill Simpson covered Prince’s “Purple Rain” on the second night of his sold-out back-to-back shows in Charlotte — his first performances in the city since his co-headlining tour with Tyler Childers just before the shutdown in 2020. Simpson, who used to play at Charlotte’s beloved Thirsty Beaver with his progressive bluegrass band Sunday Valley and later at The Evening Muse (2013) and The Chop Shop (2014) as his solo career gained momentum, delivered two distinct sets each night at Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre. During his 2020 performance, he recalled his early days at the Thirsty Beaver, saying, “There were, like, seven people there. We got drunk as shit, and I slept in a van. This is a lot different tonight — I don’t know how many people are here, but I’m gonna get high as shit and sleep on the bus.” His setlists on Monday and Tuesday night featured tracks from his Grammy Award-winning ‘A Sailor’s Guide to Earth,’ his psychedelic rock-infused ‘Sound & Fury,’ his 2014 breakthrough album ‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music,’ his most recent project as Johnny Blue Skies, ‘Passage du Desir,’ and even a few tracks from his debut album ‘High Top Mountain.’ 🎥: kandeegramm (IG) Night Two Setlist: “Welcome to Earth (Pollywog)” “It Ain’t All Flowers” “Best Clockmaker on Mars” “Ronin” “Remember to Breathe” “Life Ain’t Fair and the World Is Mean” “Turtles All the Way Down” “Juanita” “All Around You” “Oh Sarah” “All Said and Done” “Sitting Here Without You” “Long White Line” “One for the Road” “Water in a Well” “Midnight Rider” “Voices” “Jupiter’s Faerie” “Purple Rain” “You Can Have the Crown” “A Good Look” “Pinball Blues” “Time After All” “Mercury in Retrograde” “Mint Tea” “You Don’t Miss Your Water” “Breakers Roar” “I’d Have to Be Crazy” “Brace for Impact (Live a Little)” #SturgillSimpson #JohnnyBlueSkies #NorthCarolina #CLT #Charlotte #NC #CLT #Prince #PurpleRain #Charlotte ♬ original sound – CLTure
It’s far from the first time he’s performed Prince’s iconic tune for the masses. Here he is playing in Rupp Arena last year.
The song has been heard in other stops like Oklahoma City, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia in recent years. They can all be easily found on YouTube.
No matter how many times you hear it, though, it won’t get old!
Sturgill Simpson’s return to Charlotte offered a stark contrast to his debut.
We mentioned that Simpson sold out the Skyla Credit Union Amphitheater this week. That was far from the case in his first Charlotte show.
Prior to Tuesday, Simpson last played in the city in 2020. During that appearance, he reflected on a 2012 gig that took place at a small, secluded bar.
“First show I ever played here was about six years ago at a place called the Thirsty [expletive] Beaver,” he recalled. “Back when there wasn’t s— around it but a big old gravel parking lot.
“Drove by it yesterday and I was like, ‘Where is it?… Oh, damn. That sucks.’ Good for them for holding out… There was like seven people there, we got drunk as s—, and I slept in a van. It was pretty sweet.”
Check out the scene from that Thirsty Beaver show in the slides below.
Things have certainly changed since then! From a bar of seven people to sold-out amphitheaters, and the journey continues.
Hopefully for folks in Charlotte, they won’t have to wait another five years to see Sturgill Simpson live. For those that saw the country music star live on Tuesday, he didn’t disappoint.
Content shared from brobible.com.