The stage might have been small at the historic Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, but Chris Stapleton played it like another one of his stadium tour stops.
There’s Chris Stapleton’s voice, and then there’s everybody else’s. No one can hold a candle to the vocal abilities of the Kentucky native, and he showcased his iconic pipes and mesmerizing guitar playing as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live.
Stapleton decided to play it safe with his song choice by rolling out the most popular song from his latest album Higher. The track has won plenty of awards for the Kentucky native, including Best Country Solo Performance and Country Song at the 66th Grammy Awards. And as he often does, Chris got some help on stage from his wife Morgane as she brought the back up vocals and the always underrated job of jostling the tambourine.
It made sense for Stapleton to break out the anthemic “White Horse” for those Saturday Night Live viewers that are somehow uninitiated to his brand of music, and probably country music in general. As you’ve probably heard before, some city folk just don’t get it.
That’s why Chris must have decided to turn it up to 110 percent with his performance. Now that I think about it, Stapleton’s 110 percent could be the result of him trying at about 70 percent. He makes anything that he does musically look effortless.
Stapleton also looked rather comfortable in a sketch that aired on the show titled “Get That Boy Back.” It was a classic play on the country music revenge song (think Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats”), and Chris played his part seamlessly. And by no surprise, his voice sounded just as good in the recorded skit as it did in his live performance.
You’ve likely heard Stapleton’s “White Horse” by now, but you’ve never heard it live (sort of) from the iconic stage of the long-running comedy show. Take a listen:
He’s the man.
And Stapleton proved that to be true by going out for his second performance of the show all by himself to sing “Mountains of My Mind.” The track is slow, at least slower, than the others included on Higher, and is actually the last track on the album he released late last year. But it was the perfect juxtaposition to his energetic “White Horse” earlier in the show.
The song, which is a heartfelt look at the inner battles one fights within their own head, was beautifully executed live on SNL. You could hear a pin drop in the historic studio, and that’s saying something considering the show tapes dead in the heart of the city that never sleeps.
That’s just a testament to how Stapleton can command a stage, and sing a tear-jerking song like the incredibly underrated “Mountains of My Mind.”
Check it out:
