Go Johnny Blue Skies Go: Sturgill Simpson Honors Chuck Berry In St. Louis

Sturgill Simpson brought his Why Not? Tour in support of his new Johnny Blue Skies album, Passage Du Desir, to The Fabulous Fox Theatre on Tuesday for his first of two concerts in St. Louis. Simpson paid tribute to Chuck Berry on Tuesday in the pioneering rocker’s hometown by debuting a raucous cover of “Johnny B. Goode.”

Simpson and bandmates bassist Kevin Black, guitarist Laur Joamets, drummer Miles Miller and keyboardist Robbie Crowell delivered a 30-song concert at the historic St. Louis venue on Tuesday. The setlist featured the tour’s usual mix of Passage Du Desir cuts, selections from Sturgill’s other albums and an array of choice covers.

After taking the stage to the soundtrack of Nelly’s “Country Grammar,” Simpson & Co. launched the show with Sound & Fury standout “Best Clockmaker On Mars.” The ensemble then worked through more Sturgill originals before serving up a cover of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Midnight Rider,” which gave way to the beloved “Juanita.”

Later, Sturgill Simpson led his crew through “Just Let Go.” The selection from 2014’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music bled into Sound & Fury’s “A Good Look,” which saw the band pick up the pace and lay into “Johnny B. Goode” for the first time. Simpson belted out Chuck Berry’s 1958 hit with power and passion. Both Joamets and Crowell took furious solos before the band concluded the cover debut.

Watch fan-shot footage of Sturgill Simpson covering “Johnny B. Goode” in St. Louis below:

The concert continued with Passage Du Desir track “Scooter Blues” and a cover of Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade Of Pale.” Additional covers played in St. Louis last night included “I’d Have To Be Crazy” (Steven Fromholz), “Long White Line” (Moore & Napier) and “Red Red Wine” (Neil Diamond). The latter birthed a show-closing “Fastest Horse In Town.”

Sturgill Simpson returns to St. Louis’ Fabulous Fox Theatre tonight (Wednesday, October 16). Official audio of night one in St. Louis will soon be added to nugs.net’s catalog of Why Not Tour? recordings.