The Black Keys brought their North American tour to a close in Nashville with an unexpected guest performance. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney invited Sturgill Simpson, who now records under the moniker Johnny Blue Skies, to join them on stage at the Pinnacle for an extended jam session. The trio transformed the soul standard “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” into a nearly seven-minute psychedelic blues exploration, with Simpson contributing guitar work on his cherry Gibson instrument.
The collaborative performance marked the first time Simpson and the Black Keys frontman have officially played together, though their professional paths have intersected in recent years. Simpson’s latest album as Johnny Blue Skies & the Dark Clouds was recorded at Auerbach’s Easy Eye Studios in Nashville. Both artists also shared a meaningful connection with the late musician John Prine. The evening also featured Marcus King performing a cover of Willie Griffin’s “When There’s Smoke, There’s Fire” alongside the duo.
Simpson’s current project, Mutiny After Midnight, recently became available on streaming platforms after initially releasing only in physical formats. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the first physical-only release to achieve such chart success since 2023. Simpson and the Dark Clouds will launch their fall tour beginning September 4 in Austin and concluding October 30 in Kentucky.
Originally reported by Rollingstone →
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