Weathering The Storm With Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds

Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds entered the stage to the sound of a heavy descending guitar riff like something out of a doom metal track. Then the disco ball turned on, and Sturgill Simpson started playing a smoky blues guitar solo over jazz chords. The introduction then resolved in the funky syncopated groove of “Venus,” which was soon graced by the hearty twang of Simpson’s voice, country to the bone. The sequence worked well as an overture for a night when Simpson and his band would roam all over the stylistic map.Kentucky-born Simpson is one of the greatest singer-songwriters of his generation, though he says he doesn’t care about such distinctions. He’s a naturally gifted vocalist, capable of conjuring timeless depths of emotion and authority with every bleary howl, and his lyrics are often as memorable as his voice is classic. His catalog contains aching beauty, snarling swagger, saucy licks, smoking grooves — the whole classic rock radio dial mixed in alongside outlaw country, bluegrass, and many kinds of dance music. He’s good at so many things, and a bunch of them were on display Wednesday night in Columbus. Only when Simpson leaned into jam-band aesthetics did the show fall flat.The statement announcing this year’s Johnny Blue Skies album Mutiny After Midnight included a preview of the Mutiny For The Masses tour: “We're going out to play arenas and theaters with a vengeance. No opening act. We're going to take every minute the venue gives us. We're gonna rock this Mutiny as hard as humanly possible. It is our privilege and our honor because our fans deserve it.” They did indeed play for three hours Wednesday night at a half-full Nationwide Arena, which meant there was more than enough time to indulge Simpson's best and worst tendencies.This guy does what he wants; defiance has long been his defining trait. And one thing he apparently wants right now is to kick off his shows by evoking Phish. “Venus” was one of several songs in the show’s first hour that stretched out into lengthy, shapeshifting journeys. About seven minutes in, a smooth saxophone solo broke out. About 12 minutes in, drummer Miles Miller broke into a double-time beat straight out of a 2004 dance-punk song. It was interesting, but it did not play to Simpson’s strengths like the bluegrass-informed “Railroad Of Sin,” a song that raced along like Yonder Mountain String Band on a runaway train. And if veering directly from there into the wide-open power chords of “Fastest Horse In Town” showed off this band’s versatility, the distortion bombs felt as directionless as the jamming, like fireworks deployed randomly rather than in stunning choreography.Mutiny After Midnight was explicitly designed as a celebration of groove, a country-funk throwdown fueled by rebellion and lust. The record works wonders, largely because even when the tracks extend to five or six minutes, they have a sense of momentum and purpose. For all the album’s heated rhythmic prowess, those contagious cadences are carrying along well-crafted songs. Early on in Wednesday’s show, the craftsmanship took a backseat to open-ended instrumental passages that often felt like voyages to nowhere. I trust the jam-friendly segment of his audience was thrilled with the decision to stack up some of the loosest, least focused songs of the night at the beginning of the setlist, but for me it was a reminder that even when a band is cooking, sometimes the recipe sucks.Far more appealing was the show’s second hour, which highlighted Simpson’s brilliant songwriting and the Dark Clouds’ knack for savvy arrangements. This stretch of the show also happened to zero in on 2024’s Passage du Desir, the world-weary country-rock opus that introduced the Johnny Blue Skies persona and stands as Simpson’s best album to date. The warm-hearted, sad-eyed reverie of Passage tracks “If The Sun Never Rises Again” and “One For The Road” led straight into Simpson’s signature song, 2014’s metaphysical psych-country ballad “Turtles All The Way Down.” Then it was back to Passage material with “Right Kind Of Dream,” a gently propulsive tune beautified by graceful guitar melodies like an adult music box. The hip-swinging love song “Don’t Let Go,” the Mutiny song that most resembles Passage Du Desir, rounded out a suite that showcased Simpson at his most tender without reining in the band’s formidable chops.As the concert moved into its final third, the Dark Clouds stormed into every corner of Simpson’s catalog. Mutiny heaters “Make America Fuk Again,” “Stay On That,” and “Everyone Is Welcome” were uproariously fun, and the band rode them out just long enough that they didn’t overstay their welcome like some of the earlier numbers. Slow jams “Jupiter’s Faerie” and “Welcome To Earth (Pollywog)” showed Simpson is just as adept at writing about death and new birth. The towering riff-monster “Best Clockmaker On Mars” and the rocket-fueled show-closer “Excited Delirium” proved that “fast and loud” is almost as potent a mode for this band as “slow and sad.” Throw in a dazzling laser light show that makes full use of the large space, and you’ve got yourself a hell of a performance — one that captures the essence of Sturgill Simpson, without apology, compromise, or rejoinder. Maybe I would have preferred two tight, focused hours over these shaggy three, but Simpson does not strike me as the “less is more” type. These days the Dark Clouds are all about the sprawl, and whatever critiques you may levy at them, no one can leave this tour doubting whether they let it all hang out.SETLIST:"Venus""Situation""Railroad Of Sin""Fastest Horse In Town""Make Art Not Friends""Viridescent""Living The Dream""Last Man Standing""Mint Tea""All Around You""If The Sun Never Rises Again""One For The Road""Turtles All The Way Down""Right Kind Of Dream""Don't Let Go""A Good Look""Lay Down Sally""A Good Look""Make America Fuk Again""Stay On That""Jupiter's Faerie""Everyone Is Welcome""Welcome to Earth (Pollywog)""It Ain't All Flowers""Best Clockmaker On Mars""Life Of Sin""Long White Line""Mercury in Retrograde""Excited Delirium"