Sturgill Simpson is switching up the setlist for each Why Not? Tour show thus far.
Kicking off his first tour since 2021, Simpson fired up the crowd in L.A. over the weekend for the first shows back on the road at the Greek Theatre. The tour is off to an electric start as Simpson performs the hits fans know and love while bringing new material from his latest Johnny Blue Skies project to the stage.
He’s also keeping fans on their toes with a few covers in the setlist, crushing it with a cover of Prince’s “Purple Rain.”
After his two-night run in Los Angeles, he headed to Santa Barbra, where he surprised fans again with another stellar cover. This time, he pulled out The Doors’ “L.A. Woman.” While it might have seemed more fitting for him to take this cover to the stage at the shows in L.A., Simpson didn’t follow the status quo.
The title track off their record, L.A. Woman, The Doors released the song in 1971, and their guitarist, Robby Krieger, has since called it a “quintessential Doors song.” While the album features stellar songs like this, it also carries a sad weight as it was the last project to feature Jim Morrison. “L.A. Woman” is seen as Morrison’s final goodbye to the California city before he moved to Paris, where he died of congenital heart failure, which is commonly attributed to a heroin overdose. “L.A. Woman” was later a hit for Billy Idol in 1990.
“L.A. Woman” was the perfect choice for Simpson as it features heavy guitar chugs and rip-roaring riffs that allow him to highlight his shredding ability on stage. There is nothing like watching Simpson dialed in as he lets rock and roll flow through his veins.
As the band crushes this cover, they are all deep in the music, having a blast on stage. I know the Why Not? Tour has many stops to go, but I fear this might be an early favorite among the covers we will see him bring to the stage.
This is stupid-good.