Long before Chris Stapleton revealed his plans to release From A Room: Volume 1, fans were already familiar with what would one day be its lead track. That track is “Broken Halos,” which Stapleton performed live for the first time at Dolly Parton‘s Smoky Mountains Rise benefit. The benefit was held to help raise funds for Parton’s My People Fund, which offered assistance to those who had been affected by wildfires in Parton’s home county.
After that introduction, Stapleton started including “Broken Halos” in his show set. He delivered a particularly emotional performance at the 2017 Country Radio Seminar, which is when he revealed his inspiration behind the song:
“This is a sort of new song, an old song for me, but it’s a song about people who have passed away before their time. I recorded this on a day where a friend of mine passed away from pancreatic cancer. He was the same age as me. We played little league together and all that. He was 38. This is for my buddy Mike.”
When Stapleton finally released From A Room: Volume 1, “Broken Halos” was one of the main tracks that stood out to fans and critics alike. One Spotify editor wrote in Billboard that the song “helps build a strong argument that [Stapleton] is one of the most refreshing and consistent country artists to emerge in recent memory.”
We would have to agree with that assessment, especially after watching Stapleton’s acoustic performance of the song on The Howard Stern Show. While the recorded version features few instrumentals, Stapleton’s band does play along with him on the track. As we’ve learned before, Stapleton absolutely shines when he gets the chance to do a solo acoustic performance, and that’s exactly what he did on Howard Stern.
With nothing but the sound of his own guitar to back him up, Stapleton glided into “Broken Halos” with effortless ease. The stripped-down arrangement gives you the chance to zero in on his voice. As a result, the emotions behind the lyrics come forward even more than they do on the recording.
What else is there to say? This performance is a country music masterpiece! Check it out below and let us know what you think.