Sturgill Simpson Shows Up to Support Margo Price, Tyler Childers at Ryman Show
This story has been updated.
Margo Price held forth for the first night of her 3-night, nearly sold out run at the Mother Church of Country Music on Saturday evening, and had a very special (and familiar) guest show up to support. Kentucky songwriter Tyler Childers opened the show, and fans were surprised when Sturgill Simpson walked out on stage as a member of Tyler’s band. It’s worth watching the fan video below when he takes a ripping solo during “Whitehouse Road.” Simpson produced Childer’s recent album Purgatory.
And of course if Sturgill Simpson is in the building, he’s probably not going sit backstage eating peanuts when Margo plays. Sturgill emerged to play and sing “After The Fire Is Gone” with Margo for the enthusiastic Ryman crowd. And that’s not all, Lukas Nelson also showed up and performed “Leaning To Lose” with Margo. Fans certainly got their money’s worth on the evening.
Long standing fans of Margo Price and Sturgill Simpson know that at one point Margo employed Simpson in her backing band The Price Tags, and the two have shared the same bass player in Kevin Black. Now along with Tyler Childers, Lukas Nelson, and others, they are carrying forth the country music insurgency which has seen multiple names from the Americana and roots realm sell out Ryman stints, including Jason Isbell, Cody Jinks, and Simpson himself back in the day. These days the Ryman would be too small for a Sturgill Simpson show. But those who ponied up for Margo got a special, intimate treat.
Margo Price might be right back on the Ryman stage in September after she was nominated for three Americana Music Awards last week for Song of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Album of the Year for her most recent release All American Made. But before then, she will be playing Sunday evening at the Ryman once again with Tyler Childers opening, and then again on Wednesday with Colter Wall opening. It would not be out of the realm of possibility to expect other special guests to make their way to the Ryman stage as part of Margo shows. Unexpected guests has become a tradition in itself at the Mother Church.
Margo Price, Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, and Colter Wall are all booked by the Paradigm Talent Agency. One or two single tickets still remain for Sunday night’s show at the Ryman (at time of posting), as do a small handful of tickets for Wednesday night’s show.
May 20, 2018 @ 9:42 am
A Sturgill show would be too small for the Ryman? Not sure if that’s a typo or a new development I was unaware of.
May 20, 2018 @ 1:59 pm
I read it as the Ryman would be too small for a Sturgill show…but maybe he edited it?
May 20, 2018 @ 10:01 am
Lukas Nelson also guested with Margo, channeling his dad for “Learning to Lose.” I was lucky enough to be in the audience, and it was an amazing show. Not only was the roof blown off, but the walls were melted. Margo’s albums do not do her justice. If you have a chance, get thee to the Ryman for tonight or Wednesday’s shows!
May 20, 2018 @ 10:21 am
How was that left out of the story?
May 20, 2018 @ 10:34 am
I think there are more videos of Sturgill floating around. Lukas held his head low with a giant hat on and seemed to be singing directly to Margo the entire time, so it was hard to get get good pictures of him, at least from where I was sitting. He did a great job… it gave me chills.
May 20, 2018 @ 11:44 am
Must have been wonderful. Four of my favorites all together.
May 20, 2018 @ 2:00 pm
She NEEDS a better producer. She absolutely brought the house down, when I saw her in Boston.
May 21, 2018 @ 11:27 am
If she can capture that live energy in the studio, look out!
May 23, 2018 @ 11:06 pm
Seriously. This is a huge problem with Margo Price.
May 20, 2018 @ 10:18 am
Sturgill is the epitome of nonchalance and cool. Great videos! Thanks for sharing.
May 20, 2018 @ 10:38 am
Loved Sturgill guitar playing, while Tyler was singing, it sounds like Waylon.
Loved the second video too. Both videos sounded like country from the 70’s 🙂
May 20, 2018 @ 4:13 pm
I definitely got the Waylon vibe too. It’s good to see Sturgill actually playing country music instead of just supporting it through other means.
May 20, 2018 @ 11:17 am
I’ve Watch the “9 to 5” video as well now, It really seem to have been one hell of a show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi5ry77qQ20
May 20, 2018 @ 11:31 am
Very cool. Looking forward to seeing Margo and Sturgill at the 4th of July Picnic. Would be cool to see some collaborations there as well.
May 20, 2018 @ 1:58 pm
And Trigger’s hyper-criticism of All Things Margo disappears in 3…2…1
May 21, 2018 @ 6:08 am
Well, if her music was great there wouldn’t be criticism, but it’s not.
May 21, 2018 @ 2:23 pm
This.
Maybe everyone will lay off of Margo for awhile now.
It’s not her fault that the the media has chosen her to be their go-to Americana artist of choice.
There are so many factors that decide who gets famous and who doesn’t, most of it is out of the artist’s hands.
Personally, I’m just looking forward to watching Margo grow as an artist.
Whatever problems people have with her are almost always never even about the music, which is good and getting better with each new release.
May 20, 2018 @ 2:01 pm
My friend, Heather, took that “Whitehouse Road” video with her iPhone. We were in the 2nd row. I lost it when Sturgill came out! The entire show killer. Up there with some of the best I’ve seen!
May 20, 2018 @ 3:57 pm
I wish Sturgill would produce and play on Margo’s next album.
May 20, 2018 @ 4:00 pm
I can’t believe I get to see Margo and Sturgill together on July 26th at the CMAC Performing arts center it’s going to be a killer show. Now I just need to bug some venues in the Buffalo area to book Tyler Childers.
May 20, 2018 @ 5:50 pm
You’re my hero Sturg!
May 20, 2018 @ 6:14 pm
LOL…
May 20, 2018 @ 6:49 pm
Tyler Childers is the most original and intriguing artist in this article… by far.
May 20, 2018 @ 8:32 pm
By far is a big stretch. Colter Wall is neck and neck with Tyler.
May 23, 2018 @ 10:49 am
While I love Colter and have seen him live a few times, I highly disagree. Reason being, Tyler’s music takes you on an emotional journey, high, low and “all that in the middle”, while Colter’s voice limits the emotional effect. I love his voice, but it doesn’t take me down, and certainly not as far up as Tyler’s. Tyler live is just an incredible experience.
May 24, 2018 @ 6:30 am
I agree!! Tyler’s songs are amazing, and his live show is right up there with Cody Jinks!! Colter Wall is good, but his music does not make me want to sing along at the top of my lungs the way Tyler’s does!!
May 20, 2018 @ 8:10 pm
I must have listened to that Whitehouse Road clip a dozen times today at work. I got excited because I thought was I was seeing Tyler this Thursday in Morgantown and thought maybe Sturgill might still be hanging around, but then I realized it’s the following Thursday. I have no idea what day or month it is anymore and having Memorial Day early doesn’t help any.
May 20, 2018 @ 10:47 pm
One of the best shows I’ve attended at the Ryman.. i showed up for Tyler Childers and was blown away by his performance.. Then i was surprised by Sturgill, Nelson, and Margo (hearing her for the 1st time) all together made for an unforgettable night
May 21, 2018 @ 6:43 am
Wow. All these folks absolutely kill it live.
May 21, 2018 @ 8:18 am
This was my first Ryman show, it did not disappoint.
May 21, 2018 @ 12:48 pm
You forgot to mention Tyler started off with a guest Laid Back Country Picker who with the Foodstamps blazed thru” Party Line”. Laid back was early influence on tyler and his high school history teacher.
May 21, 2018 @ 10:34 pm
I almost lost it when I saw that LBCP opened. Wish I was there. What a shining example of a badass man.
May 21, 2018 @ 1:19 pm
What a show. I can’t even imagine how good that crew was together.
May 21, 2018 @ 3:44 pm
It is just so damn good to have Sturgill brandishing a Telecaster again…
May 21, 2018 @ 8:28 pm
It is amazing to me how any of you can listen to the Margo/Sturgil duet and not recognize that it is sub-par in running, phrasing, overall musicality, and style. Even the band sounds like a just okay country bar band. I’m sure this was a cool moment for you but you people either missed out on hearing the greats or you just don’t know great country music. This is just good.
May 21, 2018 @ 9:29 pm
There are a few people on here whose music I don’t care for but I don’t insult the people who do. Questioning our knowledge or taste is just facile. I’d say as a bunch we do know what we’re talking about when it comes to country legends. Thanks.
May 21, 2018 @ 10:37 pm
Jessie – this performance was thrown together last minute, and most importantly, you are watching a cell phone YouTube video on what is most likely a flip phone in your hand. Don’t think too far into it.
May 22, 2018 @ 6:27 am
Is it really amazing, jwtlh? I’m sorry we keep disappointing you. We’ll try harder in the future.
May 22, 2018 @ 6:53 am
Funny Jack! I think what disappoints me is the loss of talent and expectations of talent that we have seen over the last decade with the use of digital manipulation on vocals. Singers just don’t have to be as good as they used to. Also, the use of language just isn’t as good. True greatness is rare today and I don’t believe in holding some act up on a pedestal just because “Hey, this is the best that’s out there right now.”
May 22, 2018 @ 9:32 pm
What does digital vocals have to do with Sturgill, Margo or Tyler? Seems like you may have been posting on the wrong thread?
May 22, 2018 @ 9:34 pm
And also, in your “used to” days, there wasn’t such a thing as crappy cell phone video. You are comparing studio recordings to live recordings on a crappy cell phone.
May 23, 2018 @ 4:51 am
I’m saying that propping artists up with digital manipulation for years has allowed for a generation of singers that just aren’t that good. You hear the albums but when you go see them live, they are pitchy and overall not very good. I was at an awards show once where all the young artists were sounding awful and holding their ear monitors like the couldn’t hear themselves, Dolly Parton walked out and sang spot on.
To your point about the crappy cell phone video: cell phones don’t affect pitch. I was mostly talking about Margo because she is a weak singer. Sturgil a good singer that somewhat mimics Waylon.