Death, taxes and Chris Stapleton playing excellent shows in the Pittsburgh area — all inevitable things.
After taking a break from headlining in 2025 to support George Strait’s tour at Acrisure Stadium, Stapleton returned to the Pavilion at Star Lake on Wednesday night, an outdoor setting that fits his brand of bluesy country like a well-broken-in cowboy boot.
Stapleton had an 11-year career as a popular country recording artist, but even before that, he was penning hit songs with some of the hottest contemporary artists and even legends including George Strait, Peter Frampton and Sheryl Crow. As a performer, he is a creative and evocative singer and guitarist, and his shows always seem to run like a precisely set watch.
While Stapleton’s gravelly bulldozer of a voice and keening guitar may loudly speak for themselves, when it comes to banter during his shows, he tends to be more aloof. He explained this during Wednesday night’s show.
“We’re going to play as much music as we can in the time we have,” he said. “I won’t do a whole lot of talking.”
With nearly two dozen songs on the setlist, he kept his promise.
He started off with “Bad As I Used to Be,” bringing every member of the backing band to the forefront, from the opening peals of Mickey Raphael’s harmonica to the bubbling bass from J.T. Cure in the bridge. The second song, though, was the kind of stomper where Stapleton really shines: rough-and-tumble outlaw country “Arkansas,” a tune that reminds you of driving down unpaved roads and the smoky scent of late-night campfires.
From there, it was a back-and-forth between twangy, scorching songs and softer ballads. The dark “Nobody to Blame” was a crowd favorite, and then the red-hot stage lights went blue for “What Am I Gonna Do,” which was slower and showed off the gorgeous harmonies between him and his backup singer — and wife — Morgane Stapleton.
Those slower, gentler songs show off Stapleton’s eye for a great hook. He may not make pop music, but catchy tracks such as “Think I’m In Love With You” and “Fire Away” are ready-made for radio and can also make your heart swell.
After showing off the R&B half of his country/R&B style with a cover of Al Green’s “I’m a Ram” with his opener, Allen Stone, Stapleton said, “This is the part of the show where I fire the band for a minute. Don’t worry, I’m going to hire them back.”
This preceded a three-song-long acoustic set, where Stapleton took shouted crowd requests and played them on his own. The first song was “What Are You Listening To?” which follows the great country tradition of being a song about other songs.
“This is the first song I had on the radio. It shot straight to No. 46,” he quipped before the song.
He promised a drinking song, which came in the form of “Drunkard’s Prayer.” Then he promised to play the blues and gave the most epic performance of the night with “I Was Wrong,” bringing the full band back in after the bridge for a noodling series of solos.
The rest of the set was hit after hit, as evidenced by how loud the concert’s attendees sang along. A live show favorite, “Cold,” had his mellifluous voice caressing the verses and his scratchy holler rising to the rafters during the choruses. One audience member — someone who kept requesting it during the acoustic set — was surely excited for “White Horse,” which had the band unbridled.
Back-to-back wanderlust songs “Starting Over” and Traveller” — the title track of Stapleton’s first album — were airy and poignant. After “Broken Halos,” Stapleton demonstrated the ease with which he uses his stunning voice by singing the band introductions.
It’s a little funny that, for someone so successful with songwriting, Stapleton’s most popular song is a cover. David Allen Coe was the writer of “Tennessee Whiskey,” but with the bluesy steel guitar, the singer’s soulful delivery and the perfect harmonies with Morgane, Stapleton has truly made the song his own. It’s always a little funny to listen to a crowd try to sing along with his challenging vocal runs in the chorus.
After a brief encore break, the show ended on a perfect note full of rollicking, fiery guitar and growling vocals with “Outlaw State of Mind.”
I can’t guarantee Chris Stapleton won’t make my top year-end shows list again this year. He’s just reliably chill-inducing and toe-tapping with a clear passion for performing. Here’s hoping he comes back again next summer.
