Stapleton brings the Fam to JPJ.
Stapleton is a star…maybe the biggest and brightest in Nashville. Coverage of him? It’s everywhere.
So what’s left to say?
How about this: I love my wife and my friends, and the connection I have with them is the most important thing in my world. When I need to lean on them, they’re always there.
It feels like Chris Stapleton feels the same way (not about my family and friends — his).
Standing on the floor at JPJ on Friday night, as Morgane and the rest of the band took the stage, followed by Chris himself, something electric was in the air. From the moment they faced each other at the mic, the connection was immediate. It wasn’t just a concert…it was an exchange of emotion, of purpose, of love. I’ve been to a lot of shows, and I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
Maybe it was the pit tickets that gave us a closer look at how they sing to each other and with each other. Maybe it’s just that there aren’t many husband-and-wife duos at their level, making what they do feel even more profound. Or maybe it’s that Chris and Morgane are simply two world-class artists who found love, and we’re lucky enough to witness that love come alive through music.
But let’s zoom out for a second.
You notice the ticket just says “Chris Stapleton”. But this show? This sound? It’s not just Chris. It’s Chris, Morgane, and a band of longtime collaborators who are absolutely essential to what we know as “the Chris Stapleton sound.”
Morgane doesn’t just sing harmony, she’s perhaps the emotional core of the performance. Her voice doesn’t blend in, it locks in. On songs like “Starting Over” and “Millionaire,” you could feel her presence anchoring the room. Standing just to Chris’s left, she wasn’t in the background, she was his compass. Their glances, their timing, their phrasing…it was all an unspoken language of love and trust.
And she’s not just a stage presence or someone who came into the story in its later chapters, she’s been shaping Chris’s sound from day one. A Nashville songwriter in her own right, Morgane penned hits like “Don’t Forget to Remember Me” (Carrie Underwood) and “Liars Lie” (Lee Ann Womack). She co-produced Traveller, the From A Room series, and Starting Over, lending her voice, ears, and instincts to every project.
The band behind them, that band without a name, is made up of some of the best musicians on the planet.
Derek Mixon on drums is a quiet force. A Louisiana native and Nashville session legend, Mixon’s groove is what makes Stapleton’s mix of soul, country, and blues feel so effortless. From whispered ballads to full-on barn-burners, his playing was sensitive, deep, and essential. He doesn’t try to steal the spotlight, but without him, the whole thing would collapse.
J.T. Cure on bass is a longtime Stapleton collaborator since their college days in Kentucky, in fact. His playing is tactile, soulful, and grounded, often with his trusty '62 Fender Precision (“Purdy”) in hand. He’s been there since The Jompson Brothers and remains a rock-solid fixture both onstage and off. That Appalachian swagger and humility give him a quiet power that’s easy to miss if you’re not paying attention, but once you notice, you can’t ignore it.
Mike Eli LoPinto on guitar might not be a household name, but don’t let that fool you. Chris calls him “the best guitar player I know,” and it’s no exaggeration. From his early days in Boone, NC, to playing alongside Nikki Lane and Lilly Hiatt, Mike brings rich textures and subtle fire to the stage. Positioned to Chris’s right, he filled out the sonic landscape beautifully, never flashy, just essential.
Paul Franklin on pedal steel was the secret weapon of the night. A Nashville legend with a résumé that includes everyone from George Strait to Dire Straits, Paul doesn’t just play steel, he sings through it. His parts weren’t flashy or overwhelming; they were masterclasses in restraint and tone. Every slide and swell felt like it was stitched directly into your chest. Whether it was adding a wistful ache to “Cold” or coloring the edges of “Traveller,” Franklin’s steel was like a ghost in the machine…always present, always moving, always feeling. Having him on stage elevated the entire set into something even more soulful, even more country, even more of that Stapleton sound.
On Friday night, the band opened with authority, kicking things off with “Bad As I Used to Be”, Stapleton wasted no time pulling the audience into his deep Southern groove. From there, “Midnight Train to Memphis” and “Arkansas” laid down a muscular, blues-rock foundation. Then came the heart of the show: an intimate acoustic block that silenced the arena in awe. Songs like “Where Rainbows Never Die”, “What Are You Listening To?”, and “Drunkard’s Prayer” reminded us that Stapleton is just as much a balladeer as a brawler.
With Morgane’s voice wrapped around his like smoke, the emotional weight of these songs hit with beautiful precision. They then brought the fire back with fan favorites like “Parachute”, “Millionaire”, and “Nobody to Blame”, all delivered with the gravel and grace that have become his signature. A searing performance of “I Was Wrong” and a soul-drenched “Cold” showcased his unmatched vocal power. “It Takes a Woman”, one of the night’s most tender moments, felt like a quiet prayer shared between Chris and Morgane, and with 14,000 witnesses. As expected, “Tennessee Whiskey” brought the house down, with the crowd singing every word as if it were a hymn. The encore, “Traveller” and “Outlaw State of Mind”, wrapped the evening in a dusty bow, reminding us why Stapleton isn’t just a genre-defier…he’s a genre unifier.
Stapleton is a star, no doubt. But what makes him truly special, and what made Friday night in Charlottesville unforgettable, is that he’s surrounded by artists who match him note for note, heartbeat for heartbeat.
At the center of it all is a marriage, a musical partnership. And the band without a name? We’ll just call them the Fam.
Keep the Beat,
Bazz
