See Chris Stapleton Command ‘SNL’ With Bluesy ‘Nobody to Blame’
Chris Stapleton made his first ever visit to Saturday Night Live yesterday, ushering in the show’s 2016 episodes with host Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) after the NFL playoff game between the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers delayed its start.
For the second of his two performances, Stapleton turned in a bluesy rendition of Traveller‘s “Nobody to Blame,” which is currently Number 21 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. Sporting a long black dress coat and flanked by his wife Morgane, Stapleton was joined by harmonica player Mickey Raphael and producer Dave Cobb to round out his stage band. If he was nervous about having one of late-night television’s most coveted performance spots, he didn’t let on, as he gave one of his typically hair-raising vocal performances.
Stapleton’s first performance was of the Traveller cut “Parachute,” and he traded in his usual Fender Jazzmaster guitar for a gold Gibson.
After an incredible finish to 2015, Stapleton has hit the ground running in 2016 with a host of sold-out tour dates. On January 22nd, he’ll join Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley to perform at the four-day Crash My Playa in Riviera Maya, Mexico.