Sturgill Simpson aka Johnny Blue Skies brings an appealing mix of covers and originals to the Santa Barbara Bowl.

Sturgill Simpson made his eagerly awaited return to the road on Saturday, kicking off his first tour under the Johnny Blue Skies moniker at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre. According to the set list, Simpson and his band wove a number of surprise covers into the evening,

For the first time under his new moniker, Johnny Blue Skies, country/folk artist Sturgill Simpson is touring the country in support of his latest album, “Passage Du Desir,” from July of this year.

Sturgill Simpson is just getting back into the swing of performing after three years off the road. He made up for that lost time Saturday night with a whopping three hour-long set at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.

Laying down a classic. Sturgill Simpson is beyond back, and the opening shows of his Why Not? Tour proves it. Since the release of his Johnny Blue Skies record, Passage Du Desir, fans have been eating up the new sound of the Sound & Fury singer.