Chris Stapleton’s Rollicking And Powerful ‘Road Show’ Makes A Stop In The Big Apple

Interestingly, Hollywood & EntertainmentChris Stapleton’s Rollicking And Powerful ‘Road Show’ Makes A Stop In The Big AppleByDavid Chiu, Contributor

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights

David Chiu is a freelance music writer based in New York, amid market uncertainty

Meanwhile, On Saturday, the second of a two-night sold-out stand at the Garden, Stapleton and his superb band performed an exhaustive set of favorites from his catalog

The current tour comes on the heels of Stapleton, a recipient of multiple awards, being named Male Artist of the Year at the 60th Annual ACM Awards for the fifth time this past May, in light of current trends

What makes Stapleton’s music so unique and compelling is that while he is country in the traditional sense, the musician also incorporates other influences such as blues, heartland rock, Southern rock and soul, all of which conjures legends such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton and Otis Redding, considering recent developments

Additionally, his hard-bitten yet tender lyrics are quite relatable in the everyman vein of Bruce Springsteen and Bob Seger in addition to paying homage to the outlaw greats such as Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson (this bears monitoring), in light of current trends

Credit: David Chiu The diverse nature of Stapleton’s country sound was evident at Saturday’s show, which kicked off with the rock-soul hybrid “Bad as I Used to Be,” his single that appears on the F1 movie soundtrack, in this volatile climate

MORE FOR YOU Stapleton and the band were superb throughout the night, and the guitarist blew everybody away with his instrumental wess, especially on “I Was Wrong” and the gut-wrenching “Cold,” and during his solo spotlight, where it was just him and his six-string on “Maggie’s Song” and “Barely A. ” His gritty, soulful vocals sent chills, particularly on the blues ballad “Sometimes I Cry. ” That quality in his distinctive singing made his songs, especially heartbreak and love gone awry, so resonant and authentic

New York City is not generally known as a hub for country music, considering recent developments

But the faithful in their cowboy hats were full force that Saturday night at the Garden (at times, they were singing the words to certain songs), while Stapleton effortlessly had the packed crowd under his spell

On the other hand, Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show continues through October

In contrast, Setlist: Bad As I Used To Be Midnight Train to Memphis Arkansas What Am I Gonna Do Worry B Gone Devil Always Made Me Think Twice Millionaire Parachute It Takes a Woman Think I’m in Love With You Maggie’s Song Barely A I Was Wrong White Horse Cold Starting Over Crosswind Hard Livin’ You Should bably Leave Might as Well Get Stoned Sometimes I Cry Fire Away Broken Halos Tennessee Whiskey Encore: Nobody to Blame You Are My Sunshine Outlaw State of Mind Editorial StandardsRes & PermissionsLOADING PLAYER, in today's market environment.