Sturgill Simpson is partnering with nugs.net to release official live concert recordings from his extensive “Why Not? Tour,” which is currently underway. As part of this exclusive offering, fans will have the option to stream or download Simpson’s concert recordings in standard and high-resolution formats. These high-fidelity soundboard recordings capture the energy and rawness of his live performances, allowing fans to experience the tour nightly as if they were front row.
In launching this collaboration, five concerts from the first week of the tour are available now on the live-music platform, and fans can expect nightly recordings to be available on nugs within 12 hours of each show. (Note: The audio for the September 14th Greek Theatre show will not be available. Europe audio is not confirmed yet to be available for streaming or order).
“We first teamed up with Sturgill for a livestream event during the pandemic, a benefit concert streamed live to fans worldwide from an empty Ryman Auditorium. Fast forward four years, and we’re elated to have him back on nugs.net in this capacity, this is a special opportunity for fans,” said Brad Serling, founder and CEO of nugs.net.
“This tour is a celebration of his return, and through nugs, we’re proud to be able to provide fans a piece of that live experience from home.”
The “Why Not? Tour” marks Simpson’s return to the road for his first full tour in over four years and features Simpson and his band—Kevin Black (bass), Robbie Crowell (keys), Laur Joamets (guitar) and Miles Miller (drums). Upcoming stops include Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, New York’s Forest Hills Stadium, Chicago’s The Salt Shed (two nights), Lexington’s Rupp Arena, Philadelphia’s The Met (two nights) and Washington, D.C,’s The Anthem among many others. Additionally, Simpson will headline Austin City Limits Music Festival and kick off the recently announced European leg of the “Why Not? Tour” in February, which will go on sale Friday, September 27. See below for the complete tour itinerary.
The upcoming performances celebrate Passage Du Desir, the widely acclaimed new studio album from Johnny Blue Skies—out now via High Top Mountain Records (stream/purchase). The release marked the beginning of a new era for the artist—after promising to release only five studio albums under the name Sturgill Simpson—and was produced by Johnny Blue Skies and David Ferguson and recorded at Clement House Recording Studio in Nashville, TN and Abbey Road Studios in London, England.
The new album follows the tenth anniversary reissue of Simpson’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, which came out earlier this spring. Originally released May 13, 2014, the album marked a career breakthrough for Simpson personally and proved to be a seismic shift-maker within the larger country music genre. The new special edition features a fully reimagined album cover and vinyl package, pressed on 180g Black Vinyl with an “Old-Style” Tip-On Jacket. Ushering in a new chapter within country music and setting the stage for countless other outsider artists to push the genre forward for years to come, the lasting impact of Metamodern continues to be felt today. In a recent piece reflecting on the album’s influence and importance, Marissa Moss writes in Rolling Stone, “Ten years since its release, Simpson’s 2014 masterpiece Metamodern Sounds in Country Musiccontinues to redefine what’s possible in Nashville,” and continues, “Metamodern is an album that shows how the best music can come when you’re respectful of the past but fearless about the future.”
Since his debut, Simpson has released five full-length studio albums—2013’s High Top Mountain, 2014’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, 2016’s A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, 2019’s Sound & Fury and 2021’s The Ballad of Dood and Juanita—along with the 2020 projects, Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Throughout his singular career, Simpson has relentless pushed against expectations, earning widespread acclaim and countless accolades including a Grammy Award in 2017 for Best Country Album and six Grammy nominations across four genres: country, rock, bluegrass and americana.
In addition to his work as a musician, Simpson has acted in film and television, including roles in The Dead Don’t Die, Queen & Slim, Killers of the Flower Moon and The Righteous Gemstones.
PASSAGE DU DESIR TRACK LIST
1. Swamp of Sadness
2. If The Sun Never Rises Again
3. Scooter Blues
4. Jupiter’s Faerie
5. Who I Am
6. Right Kind of Dream
7. Mint Tea
8. One for the Road
STURGILL SIMPSON’S “WHY NOT? TOUR”—FULL LIST OF DATES
September 14—Los Angeles, CA—The Greek Theatre* (SOLD OUT)
September 15—Santa Barbara, CA—Santa Barbara Bowl* (SOLD OUT)
September 17—West Valley City, UT—Maverik Center*
September 19—Bend, OR—Hayden Homes Amphitheater*
September 20—George, WA—The Gorge Amphitheatre†
September 22—Missoula, MT—KettleHouse Amphitheater* (SOLD OUT)
September 24—Moorhead, MN—Bluestem Center for the Arts Amphitheater* (SOLD OUT)
September 25—Saint Paul, MN—Roy Wilkins Auditorium* (SOLD OUT)
September 27—Lexington, KY—Rupp Arena*
September 28—Detroit, MI—Fox Theatre* (SOLD OUT)
October 1—Chicago, IL—Salt Shed* (SOLD OUT)
October 2—Chicago, IL—Salt Shed* (SOLD OUT)
October 4—Brandon, MS—The Brandon Amphitheater*
October 4-6—Austin, TX—Austin City Limits Music Festival
October 8—Oklahoma City, OK—Criterion* (SOLD OUT)
October 9—Rogers, AR—Walmart AMP*
October 11—Huntsville, AL—The Orion Amphitheater*
October 11-13—Austin, TX—Austin City Limits Music Festival
October 15—St. Louis, MO—Fabulous Fox Theatre* (SOLD OUT)
October 16—St. Louis, MO—Fabulous Fox Theatre* (SOLD OUT)
October 18—Pittsburgh, PA—Petersen Events Center*
October 19—Forest Hills, NY—Forest Hills Stadium‡
October 21—Asheville, NC—ExploreAsheville.com Arena* (SOLD OUT)
October 22—Cary, NC—Koka Booth Amphitheatre* (SOLD OUT)
October 24—Duluth, GA—Gas South Arena*
October 25—Nashville, TN—Bridgestone Arena* (SOLD OUT)
November 12—Philadelphia, PA—The Met*
November 13—Philadelphia, PA—The Met*
November 15—Hampton, VA—Hampton Coliseum*
November 16—Huntington, WV—Health Network Arena*
November 18—Washington, DC—The Anthem* (SOLD OUT)
November 20—Toronto, ON—Massey Hall*
November 21—Toronto, ON—Massey Hall*
November 23—Boston, MA—MGM Music Hall at Fenway* (SOLD OUT)
November 24—Boston, MA—MGM Music Hall at Fenway* (SOLD OUT)
January 9-13—Cancun, Mexico—Moon Palace
February 23—Belfast, United Kingdom—Limelight
February 24—Dublin, Ireland—Vicar Street
February 26—Glasgow, United Kingdom—Barrowland Ballroom
February 27—Manchester, United Kingdom—Albert Hall
March 1—London, United Kingdom—Eventim Apollo
March 2—Bristol, United Kingdom—Bristol Beacon
March 4—Amsterdam, Netherlands—Paradiso
March 5—Hamburg, Germany—Markthalle
March 7— Frederiksberg, Denmark—KB Hallen
March 8—Stockholm, Sweden—Annexet
March 10—Oslo, Norway—Sentrum Scene
March 14—Helsinki, Finland—House Of Culture
March 15—Tallinn, Estonia—Alexa Kontserdimaja
March 18—Berlin, Germany—Metropol
March 19—München, Germany—Muffathalle
March 21—Brussels, Belgium—La Madeleine
March 22—Paris, France—Le Trianon
*“An Evening with Sturgill Simpson”
‡very special guest Durand Jones
