In his long-awaited return to music, Sturgill Simpson – or Johnny Blue Skies, depending on who and when you ask – brought a mesmerizing calm to the Santa Barbara Bowl. Maybe it was the 30-plus song setlist, or maybe it was the crowd, but the evening brought plenty of head-shaking and gentle smiles as fans were treated to a healthy mix of covers and original songs.

Two things struck me as unusual about the concert. First, Simpson took the stage and began singing at 7pm sharp—a punctuality that is almost unheard of in the ever-late entertainment industry. Additionally, there were hardly any cell phones being awkwardly held over the heads of audience members to take pictures and videos of the performance—a pleasant surprise compared to the usual sea of ​​screens fighting for the perfect, postable image.

There was also a lot of blue for Mr. Blue Skies. His new album, Passage of Desirehas a novel, bluegrass-inflected sound compared to his previous escapades, raising the question of whether this new persona will reveal another layer in his musical repertoire. Even the stage lighting throughout the show – covering all shades of blue – seemed to indicate that Sturgill’s new stage name will remain Johnny Blue Skies.

The evening of September 15 was a bit metaphorical for this transition, as Blue Skies didn’t start playing music from his latest album until about halfway through the set. After a surprise reggae transition from “A Good Look” to “Just Let Go,” he slowly transitioned into his newer music – which features both Sturgill Simpson and Johnny Blue Skies as artists – with “Right Kind of Dream” and “One for the Road” from Passage of Desire.

The singer himself poked fun at the cliche and somewhat comical nature of his mid-career name change, giggling and telling the audience, “I don’t remember what my fucking name is,” after strumming a long guitar solo.

And he did it. The most captivating part of the concert was listening to the band improvise on each other and compose extended, complex instrumental solos. Keyboardist Robbie Crowell switched between two key combinations to get the intensity just right, while drummer Miles Miller set the rock tone. Blue Skies brought a little fancy footwork into the mix, dancing his feet across the carpet to the sound of his strings.

Half the time I forgot I was there to hear Blue Skies’ wonderfully raspy voice. But when I heard him cover Prince’s “Purple Rain,” I remembered why his vocal acoustics are so hard to forget. Other covers that went down well with the crowd and had people whooping and screaming included Moore & Napier’s “Long White Line,” The Doors’ “LA Woman,” and The Allman Brothers Band’s “Midnight Rider.”

Blue Skies closed his set with the seven-and-a-half minute song “Jupiter’s Faerie” from his new album and 2016 hit “Call to Arms,” leaving the Santa Barbara crowd with a feeling of peaceful contentment and a new name to admire.