The Really Big Chill

Why Oymyakon, a town with no electricity and a population under 500 people? That’s the place that currently holds the world record for the coldest temperature ever recorded in a populated area – minus 72 centigrade (just short of minus 97.6 Fahrenheit).

If you haven’t already guessed, Simpson’s upcoming frigid performance in a town where boiling water turns to snow faster than you can read this item, has a commercial angle. The adventure is being promoted as the “Jägermeister Ice Cold Gig.”

“The Jägermeister Ice Cold Gig is by far one of the biggest challenges of my career, but I’m really excited to get out there and see a part of our planet that very few people will ever get to visit,” Simpson said. “It’s not really an option to play my guitar wearing gloves, so I just hope my fingers don’t freeze.”

Of course, playing in a location where your fingers can stick to your instrument and the local pastime is fighting frostbite does have some unusual concert considerations.

Or, as Jägermeister UK Music Manager Tom Carson observed, “with local cuisine consisting mostly of reindeer meat and fish, we’ve warned [Simpson] not to expect too much on his backstage rider!”