By: Rachel Woodall
With all of the excitement of Lolla last weekend, I wanted to get in on a piece of the action. I, along with every other music loving journalist in the city, that is. This is what led me to the “After Lolla” show scene. As soon as I opened the list, a few names drew my eye. One of them was Sturgill Simpson. There was a lot of buzz surrounding Simpson in the weeks leading up to Lolla – including on this station- because he was a one-of-a-kind act at the festival. He plays self-described “neotraditional country.” I also happen to be very familiar with his latest release, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music. Knowing these things, I made my way down to the theater on Friday, July 31.
“The last show we played in Chicago…was at a BBQ joint. There were 46 people there, and only two of them were there for us.” Sturgill Simpson told this story to a much different crowd that night: a jam-packed, sold out Metro Chicago theater. The five piece band filled the venue with the sound of many more, each musician adding an intricate layer to every song. The lead guitarist wowed the crowd with an impressive array of riffs, solos, and jams.
But at times, I found myself looking away from the stage. My eyes were drawn to a crowd completely entranced in the music. When Simpson began playing “Long White Line,” for instance, it was as if the crowd was listening to an anthem. Many of these songs were anthems which declared an exhaustion with the present, a hope for the future, and a grasp of larger dreams.
Anyone who wants to close their eyes and feel as though they’ve travelled a step back in time, listening to that authentic country sound, must see a Sturgill Simpson show! If you can help it, check one out from the balcony of the Metro…best concert view in the city!
Check out Sturgill Simpson’s website for more.
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