Chris Stapleton couldn’t get through so many years of cutting his teeth writing hit songs for others and performing with his old bluegrass band the Steeldrivers without learning a thing or two about showmanship. That was on full display at Austin360 Amphitheatre Thursday, October 26th, where Stapleton played his second Austin date of the week.
His first was an Austin City Limits taping in an enclosed studio. Performing in an open air venue like Austin360 is a decidedly different affair, but Stapleton knows exactly the approach to take for either venue. For open air, loud, raucous, and boozey is the answer.
Even with just a three piece band, accompanied by his wife, Morgane, on backing vocals, Stapleton managed to make a hell of a bunch of noise. Due credit must be paid to his exceptional rhythm section, consisting of bassist J.T. Cure and drummer Derek Mixon, who held down every one of Stapleton’s wild whims on guitar.
But Stapleton, consummate performer, was every bit the star of his own show. Whether jamming on his dark blues with elegant licks on songs like “Death Row” and “I Was Wrong”, or shredding whiskey tinged swampy country rock like “Second One to Know,” Stapleton showed off flare and substance in his immaculate guitar prowess. Pouring a little out for Stevie Ray Vaughan and performing a little “Free Bird” before launching into his own “The Devil Named Music” seems only natural for a performer indebted equally to those influences as his native country.
However, Stapleton’s mind blowing voice was the highlight of the night. Few can scream the blues the way this man can, and fewer can keep it up for a full performance, yet Stapleton’s raspy inflection held up from the first note to the last. This is a true, pure vocal force to be reckoned with. Stapleton proved, even while singing his band introductions at the beginning of his version of “Tennessee Whiskey,” that a monumental voice can make even the most mundane statement powerful.
Stapleton previewed a bit of his upcoming record, From a Room: Volume 2, which comes out December 1st, with a performance of new song “Tryin’ to Untangle My Mind.” The song was fine, though nothing special by Stapleton’s impeccable standards. It remains to be seen how well his new album will hold up compared to two straight home runs. What is for sure is that Stapleton is enjoying a special moment in time. It may or may not ever get better than this, but nights like these will be the stuff of country music legend one day.
All photos by Maggie Boyd.
