I did not attend as many shows this year as I normally do, and I only went to one festival, which for me is indeed insane. I am no spring chicken anymore and I have been battling some health issues again. I do however always overcome those issues and I get back to the website more often than not. So I did buy a lot of records and CDs this year, and I did buy a lot of merch, I couldn’t travel as easily as I can now. So I have my vehicle issues solved, and as often as my job permits I will be seeing some great acts in 2025.
Needless to say that my most favorite show that I went to in 2024 HANDS DOWN was Sturgill Simpson/ Johnny Blue Skies . I mean, not 100 of his music does it for me, but I must honestly say this….98 percent of it does! His first solo debut album called High Top Mountain was perhaps one of my TOP 40 albums of all time, and I am 55!
Overall though, not only does his music speak to me on so many levels there are other reasons why it was such an epic banger of a show. His stage presence is beyond amazing and his musicianship is so mechanically precise that only he and Billy Strings can pull of 15e minute jam songs . Another reason I enjoyed it was the vast array of songs he chose to perform tonight. He truly did have a intense catalog of material to pick from, and I was hoping for two that he didn’t perform, but still…..100 show.
He opened with “Railroad Of sin” from the High Top Mountain album I mentioned and went into ‘Brace For Impact” from the Sailor’s Guide To Earth album. That album used to be my second favorite album until “Dood And Juanita” came around.
After he played “Mint Tea” from Passage Du Desir ( which will probably be on everyone’s TOP list in some fashion ), he did indeed play “Juanita”. I really enjoy concept albums, because it gives me a new perspective when analyzing the lyrics of each song and how they compliment the story.
“All Said And Done” was from my least favorite album “Sound And Fury” but some of those songs are the ones that the band opens up to play some extended jam sessions. Some of those open jam sessions bring the ambiance of the overall show to a highpoint of elevation even before the show is half over.
“Long White Line” is one of those songs from High Top Mountain that is a cover song but yet maintains a convincing presentation that it appears to be his own. Actually, his version IS his. It’s originally a Moore And Napier Bluegrass duo song. Initially he indeed did intend to market his songs as Bluegrass ( which we heard on his 2 volumes of Cuttin Grass ) and he ended up recording it on his first album at half the original BPM, and in the key of B. Moore and Napier played it in standard G, unless I am mistaken.
Many of his songs are all over the grid during all of these songs and he does such a wonderful job of expressing his feelings through his tone and his eloquent vocals. A prime example of this is his next song called “Water In A Well” again, from the Hightop album. “Voices” from the Metamodern Sounds album was next, before he went into some long jams beginning with “Midnight Rider” and into two or three others.
“Welcome To Earth” , “Best Clockmaker On Mars” from the Sound And Fury album. They then slowed it down a bit and broke into his version of “I’d Have To Be Crazy” from the Hightop album, along with “Time After All” in the same key. Then comes a break in the mood and the flow of things.
The middle portion of the show focused on his middle albums like “Breaker’s Roar” from the Sailor’s album along with some more Johnny Blue Skies songs. I was truly wondering if he would divide the entire show up like Hank III used to, but he didn’t. I’m going to divulge a crazy secret here…one of my favorite parts of the show is “Purple Rain”. I have a lot of admiration for the musicianship of Prince!
Everybody loves the song “Life Of Sin” from the trio of big bangers from the Metamodern Sound album. Those 3 that blend together notewise and even though it was his second album, it took some time for more people to find his music. ‘Life Of Sin”, “Turtles All The Way Down”, and “Living The Dream” are the three that I’m talking about, and he closed with “Call To Arms’.
I spend a lot of time studying tones and styles that different performers have and I have come to the conclusion that I love it when he drops that hard raunchy low E and goes into a hard solo on some songs. The amazing thing is that he really doesn’t use that many pedals to achieve his tone. He is so intelligent and precise note for note, that he doesn’t really need any.
So that’s it my friends. Sturgill Simpson/ Johnny Blue Skies best show of 2024.
