Best Band At Lalapalooza?

I didn't see close to all of them, or even twenty percent of them.  But Sturgill Simpson had, by far, the best band I saw.  No synth, no fancy lighting or other tricks ... just an amazing quintet of musicians.  Simpson's clear contribution is his writing but he can play too.  Not that he needs to with exceptional guitarist Luar Joamets, from Estonia of all places, next to him.  He's Jeff Beck, Eddie Van Halen and Steve Cropper rolled into one, with a guitar that looks like its been played - hard - since the early 1970's.  Jeff Crow on keyboards is excellent as well and the rhythm section of bassist Kevin Black and drummer Miles Miller is like Booker T and the MGs turned up to 11.

Don't take just my word for it, here's the Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot on the set: "Perhaps the festival's unlikeliest success story was Sturgill Simpson, who uttered words not often heard at this festival: “Like to play some bluegrass for you.” Simpson and his band matched the speed and precision that bluegrass requires, and offered more. The Kentucky-born singer channels outlaw country and honky tonk via no-nonsense troubadours such as Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard, but his band makes him a formidable presence at a rock festival. Led by Laur Joamets (a guitarist from a place about as far removed from Nashville as you can get, Estonia), the musicians expanded Simpson's songs and turned them into crowd-pleasers that roared."

"Woke up this morning and decided to kill my ego.  It ain't ever done me no good, no how ..."

Sharp writing and superlative musicianship.  It's no wonder Simpson is getting accolades from across the musical spectrum.  Find a show, and go to it.