Latest news with #SturgillSimpson
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Dead & Company tickets for Golden Gate Park already topping $9,000 on StubHub
Tickets for Dead & Company 's three-night run at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park this summer were expected to sell out within hours of going on sale Friday morning, despite prices that surpassed those of major music festivals like Coachella, Outside Lands and BottleRock — and prices on the resale market have already soared into the thousands. The shows, scheduled for August 1–3 at the Polo Field, commemorate 60 years of Grateful Dead music and will feature performances by bluegrass phenom Billy Strings (Aug 1), country rocker Sturgill Simpson in his Johnny Blue Skies persona (Aug. 2), and the Trey Anastasio Band (Aug. 3). Each act will open with a 75-minute set before Dead & Company — featuring Grateful Dead veterans Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, joined by guitarist John Mayer, bassist Oteil Burbridge, pianist Jeff Chimenti and drummer Jay Lane — takes the stage. General admission weekend passes originally started at $635, while single-day tickets were priced at $245. High-end packages escalated quickly, with VIP tiers reaching $6,236 and the Golden Road Super VIP package priced at $9,548. That top-tier experience includes early venue access, a private viewing deck, complimentary dining and drinks, premium restrooms, concierge service, and a signed, limited-edition poster. For those who missed the initial sale, the secondary market is offering a second chance — at a premium. As of Friday, StubHub listed three-day general admission passes for $898. VIP packages were priced up to $3,356, with some Golden Road Super VIP listings already topping $9,000 per day. General admission single-day tickets, meanwhile, started at $338 and $896, depending on the date. Prices are expected to fluctuate, particularly one to two weeks before the event. During the Grateful Dead's heyday, tickets typically cost between $8 and $24 — and many of the band's shows in Golden Gate Park between 1966 and 1991 were free. According to Billboard Boxscore, after Dead & Company earned $21.6 million from six concerts at Las Vegas' Sphere in March, as part of a return engagement following a successful run last year.
San Francisco Chronicle
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Sturgill Simpson didn't care about his audience in Berkeley. Here's why that was a good thing
Sturgill Simpson didn't need us during his performance at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley. The great ones rarely do. Miles Davis. Jack White. Willie Nelson. Their concerts are often free from the performative displays of expectation and scripted surprise. They play for the muse. For themselves. For the music. The crowd is simply an excuse to conjure some familiar magic. Simpson is the same. He'd play to an empty room. Eyes closed. Musical stories of country and bluegrass and Southern rock and gospel-infused soul surging through him. The wordless dialogue between band leader and follower, elongating songs and creating continuous strings of sound that segue from the familiar to the unexpected to the otherworldly. His three hour concert on Thursday, April 24, was a performance we were privy to, rather than a show programmed to be a dazzling distraction. Simpson arrived into this cool spring evening, his first Bay Area show since last summer's closing set at Outside Lands, wearing a red and white raglan shirt with tight jeans on a dad bod. His matching red guitar plugged in via a coiled cord, eschewing wireless tech. A pure connection. Much like what he had with his five piece band. Throughout the performance, he turned away from the audience for those nonverbal conversations between himself and his bandmates. Discussions not meant for us. But we got to overhear, and indulge in the spontaneity of familiar tunes becoming artistic explorations. Soothing songs like 'The Storm' and 'Scooter Blues' (from his Johnny Blue Skies alter ego) simply provided starting points before melting into formless streams where whimsy and inspiration took over. These jam sessions became longer than the songs that inspired them, a trait that felt so fitting in the homeland of the Grateful Dead. In essence, the music became the star, rather than the celebrity singing it. A nice change from contemporary culture where faces and fashion often steal the spotlight in an art form supposedly built on sound. And, credit to the capacity crowd for showing the patience and interest in these diversions. Following the music that folded familiar grooves into ideas borrowed and birthed. Ready to sing when the lyrics returned, often after minutes of instrumentation and usually with Simpson showing no acknowledgement of their presence. When he did, it was bizarre. 'I'm getting over a chest cold,' he said, then apologized for snot balls. 'We are after all only human.' Maybe. He followed that by stating he's an angelic species who was left on this planet. Then he launched into 'Mint Tea' and didn't stop playing for about an hour, morphing song into song into song. Beyond the improvisation, the tunes took different shapes than their recorded versions. 'Life of Sin' had more Southern rock qualities. 'Brace for Impact' had a little more swing. This is what we're supposed to expect from our artists — a showcase of their music's malleability in the moment. Artistic surprise. Yet, at times the crowd felt a little restless from the longing of wanting the note-for-note recreations of recorded music. They got it later in the set, after a segue into the Allman Brothers' 'Midnight Rider,' when Simpson dropped the jam band vibe and launched into more proper versions of some of his favored tunes. 'Welcome to Earth (Pollywog)' reverted to form, the song about fatherhood that surges with the poignant reflection of missing a child while on the road, was mostly on measure — minus the exuberant punctuation of a horn section. 'It Ain't All Flowers' also stayed true to transcription, but Simpson didn't volunteer the cathartic howls that punctuate the song's power. It wasn't clear if the crowd was supposed to fill in the blanks — or if they could. He was lost in the song, closed eyes and body gesticulations like those seen in Sunday choral sessions. There was a diversion into '90s rock nostalgia with his melancholy cover of Nirvana's 'In Bloom' and an appropriation of Rage Against the Machine's 'Bulls on Parade' tucked into his 'Best Clockmaker on Mars' — itself built around a riff that sounds like a soul was sold to create it. Both felt like tributes rather than offerings of understanding, like much of his musical career. It was different with 'Party All the Time,' Eddie Murphy's '80s pop hit that Simpson has been playing on this tour. This was an interpretation of a song that, at times, has felt unimpeachable. Simpson gave it a reggae lilt and an urgency that left him shaking his head while singing, eyes closed again from the blinding sincerity. Eddie would have approved. Rick James, who produced the original, would not have. The crowd, however, was in awe. His final acknowledgement of us was the first time he offered the illusion of control, asking if we wanted him to play two final songs, or one 'really good one.' He launched into 'Fastest Horse in Town' before there was a consensus response, splaying the fuzzy synthesis of rock and blues and country and gospel into the atmosphere while singing 'Everybody's trying to be the next someone. Look at me, I'm trying to be the first something.'
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bourbon & Beyond announces changes for 2025 festival
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) — Changes are coming to the world's largest bourbon and music festival. Bourbon And Beyond announced changes to both the VIP experience and the general festival grounds. Bourbon & Beyond drops 2025 lineup featuring acts like The Lumineers, Phish, Sturgill Simpson, Noah Kahan, and more 'We know what's important to you and we're here to deliver,' Bourbon & Beyond wrote on Facebook. Bourbon & Beyond said VIP passholders will have access to a new 3-story structure with more space and elevated views. They will also have more restrooms, bars, seating, shade, and a new second entry/exit. All attendees will be able to access the dedicated towel and chair zone and the newly expanded lounge and picnic-style seating options. Bourbon and Beyond promises an improved sound design with less stage bleed and a more accessible rideshare pickup zone. Four-day general admission, mint VIP, and Angel's Envy Beyond VIP passes, as well as single-dayGA and single-day mint VIP passes are on sale now. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sturgill Simpson will return to the Twin Cities this spring
Prior to his September show at Roy Wilkins Auditorium, Sturgill Simpson hadn't performed in the Twin Cities in eight years. He's not letting the better part of a decade slip by again. Simpson unveiled a a 2025 tour, dubbed "Who the F**k is Johnny Blue Skies?," on Thursday, and it'll bring him to The Armory in Minneapolis on May 6. Simpson's tour is billed under his recently-adopted stage name, Johnny Blue Skies. It's the name under which he released his 2024 album Passage Du Desir. He even had "Johnny Blue Skies" listed as an opener for his 2024 tour. The "Long White Line" singer will again perform solo on this tour, promising, "No openers. If you're on time, you're late." Prior to last year's tour, Simpson hadn't performed live regularly for a few years. He had a tour canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and then canceled a 2021 tour after hemorrhaging his vocal cords. Now, the outspoken songwriter behind the heralded Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, among other records, is making up for lost time. Tickets for the show at The Armory will be available through an artist presale on Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, Feb. 21 at noon.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bourbon & Beyond music festival returns: Ticket info and performer lineup
Louisville's 2025 Bourbon & Beyond festival is returning Sept. 11-14 to the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, and tickets are on sale. The festival often draws big names and this year's lineup includes The Lumineers, Phish Joy, Sturgill Simpson, Noah Kahan, Benson Boone, Khruangbin, Jack White, Goo Goo Dolls, Alabama Shakes, Joe Bonamassa, Vance Joy, Megan Moroney and more. Here's what to know about tickets for the 2025 Bourbon & Beyond festival. Tickets are currently on sale at Single day, weekend and VIP passes, along with camping, are now on sale at There are differing ticket levels for those planning to attend, all of which have additional fees: Bourbon & Beyond four-day Weekend General Admission passes: Prices start at $299.99 Weekend four-day Park Community Mint VIP passes: Starts at $709.99 4-Day Angel's Envy Beyond VIP: Begins at $1,999.99. 4-Day Exacta Pass (Includes four days for Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life): Starts at $550.00. Lawn chair passes are also available as add-ons starting at $15. More: Bourbon & Beyond releases its 2025 lineup: Who's performing at the bourbon music festival? Below are the current camping prices for the four-day festival, all of which include additional fees: Car or tent camping: $329+ RV camping: $499+ RV camping with power: $849+ Premium RV with power: $899+ (On waitlist) Glamping packages are also available for purchase including a two-person barrel cove glamping package starting at $2,499, a four-person barrel cove glamping package for $2,999, and an oak cove RV glamping package beginning at $5,000. The prices listed here exclude additional fees like refundable security deposits. The 2025 Bourbon & Beyond lineup includes The Lumineers, Phish Joy, Sturgill Simpson, Noah Kahan, Benson Boone, Khruangbin, Jack White, Goo Goo Dolls, Alabama Shakes, Joe Bonamassa, Vance Joy, Megan Moroney and more. Read the complete festival guide here. 2025 Bourbon & Beyond tickets Looking for a last-minute Christmas gift? Here are 4 music festivals selling 2025 tickets For more information, visit the Bourbon & Beyond website, linked here. Reach Marina Johnson at This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Bourbon & Beyond music festival: Ticket info and performer lineup
