In 2014 Simpson sold out two shows on the same night at Club Dada, then last May he packed out Bomb Factory, a venue which is 10 times bigger. This will be his first time to play Verizon. Tickets for the Sept. 8 show, $39.50 to $59.50, go on sale 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 17.
Since his 2013 debut, High Top Mountain, Simpson has quickly attracted critical praise and a passionate fan base — including longtime country fans as well as newcomers to the genre — with lyrical content that departs heavily from the country music orthodoxy, often chronicling his misadventures with sex, alcohol and psychedelic drugs.
But it’s hardly a gimmick. Simpson’s writing is just as wry and profound when the subject is parenthood, as it is on his third album, 2016’s A Sailor’s Guide to Earth. That album, put out by Atlantic Records, was his first for a major label.
The new 2017 show announcements round out an already busy year for Simpson. This summer he’ll headline several music festivals including Forecastle Festival in Louisville, Kentucky; Sloss Music and Arts Festival in Birmingham, Alabama; and Fuji Rock Festival in Niigata, Japan.
And if you’re unfamiliar with his work, or on the fence about buying tickets to the Verizon date, you can catch watch him perform at the 59th Grammy Awards this Sunday. A Sailor’s Guide is also nominated in two categories, Album of the Year and Best Country Album. The ceremony airs at 7 p.m. on CBS.
The full list of Simpson’s 2017 tour dates is as follows:
March 4 — Okeechobee, FL — Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival
May 6 — Orange Beach, AL — The Wharf Amphitheater
July 7 — Charlotte, NC — Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
July 8 — Cary, NC — Koka Booth Amphitheatre
July 14 — Atlanta, GA — Fox Theatre
July 15 — Louisville, KY — Forecastle Festival
July 16 — Birmingham, AL — Sloss Music & Arts Festival
July 30 — Niigata, Japan — Fuji Rock Festival
Sept. 7 — Sugar Land, TX — Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
Sept. 8 — Grand Prairie, TX — Verizon Theatre
Sept. 9 — Austin, TX — Austin360 Amphitheater
Sept. 14 — New York, NY — Radio City Music Hall
Sept. 15 — Columbia, MD — Merriweather Post Pavilion
Sept. 16 — Boston, MA — Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
Sept. 19 — Detroit, MI — Fox Theatre
Sept. 21 — St. Louis, MO — Fox Theatre
Sept. 22 — Chicago, IL — Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
Sept. 25 — Morrison, CO — Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Sept. 29 — Portland, OR — Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Sept. 30 — Redmond, WA — Marymoor Amphitheater
Oct. 6 — Los Angeles, CA — Greek Theatre
Sturgill Simpson plays Verizon Theatre, 1001 Performance Place, Grand Prairie, at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8. Tickets are $39.50 to $59.50 at verizontheatre.com.
