Review: Sturgill Simpson Wows the Crowd on 2015 Living the Dream Tour

Sturgill Simpson hit the stage at the Knitting Factory Concert House in Spokane, Wash., for a show on his 2015 Living the Dream Tour, on Tuesday evening (Nov. 10). The singer-songwriter traveled to Spokane with opening comedian Billy Wayne Davis, who has joined the singer at many of his recent tour stops and prepped the crowd for Simpson's arrival with jokes ranging in subject matter from Washington's marijuana laws to the popularity of "bro-country" (Hint: he's not a fan). But for the Spokane audience, the night was all about Simpson, with most concertgoers waiting to enter the pit in front until just before the singer took the stage.

A man of few words, Simpson entered the stage and got right to work, playing through a set featuring tracks from his latest album, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, and his freshman release, High Top Mountain, as well as a variety of covers. He played every song -- minus the bonus track -- off of Metamodern Sounds, saving his most-popular track, "Turtles All the Way Down," for near the end of the show.

The Knitting Factory doesn't have the same hallowed walls as Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, which Simpson sold out for three shows this fall, but the crowd packed the house from the balcony to the dance floor. "Turtles" and "Long White Line" were the two songs that got fans the most excited, but Simpson had the crowd dancing to almost every song -- fast and slow.

In addition to tracks off of Metamodern Sounds and High Top Mountain, Simpson covered Otis Redding's "You Don't Miss Your Water," as well as the bluegrass classic "Listening to the Rain." He also played "Sometimes Wine," a song he wrote and performed with his former bluegrass band, Sunday Valley.

Simpson played more than 20 songs during the show, taking short breaks only to grab a sip of water, introduce his band or give a simple "thank you very much" in response to the cheering crowd.

After closing the show, Simpson exited the stage along with his five-piece band. Despite the lights turning on and the venue putting music over the speakers, Simpson's fans stuck around, trying to get the singer to come out for one more song.

As Simpson's 2015 Living the Dream Tour comes to a close, there are still handful of dates along the West Coast that are well worth checking out. See a full list of dates at SturgillSimpson.com.