Sturgill Simpson to headline two-night stand at the Lexington Opera House

Kentucky native Sturgill Simpson, who has become a standard-bearer of traditional country music with his critically acclaimed 2014 release Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, will play a two-night stand at the Lexington Opera House May 16 and 17.

The 8:30 p.m. shows will follow the April 15th release of Simpson’s new album, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, an album that is being billed as a diverse journey through styles. It is already evident Simpson has been getting adventurous with the first song released from the album, Brace for Impact, and the distortion-soaked Sugar Daddy for the HBO series Vinyl.

Simpson was born in Jackson, moved with his family to Versailles when he was growing up and lived in Lexington for a time early in his career, when he was performing with the bluegrass/traditional country group Sunday Valley.

Simpson’s last Lexington appearance came before the breakout success of Metamodern Sounds, in a June 2013 set at Cosmic Charlie’s. He has played in the region since then, including a set at last summer’s Forecastle Festival in Louisville.

Tickets for Simpson’s Opera House shows will go on sale at noon March 11 at the Rupp Arena box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling 859-233-3535 and at Ticketmaster.com. They are $35 in advance, $40 the day of the show.

This story was originally published March 4, 2016 at 10:59 AM with the headline "Sturgill Simpson to headline two-night stand at the Lexington Opera House."