Jason Isbell w/ Josh Ritter - Burlington VT Oct 11, 2016

[Rusty]

Mrs. Rusty and I virtually never get out for live music anymore but with our anniversary last Friday we decided to spring for tickets to see Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit with Josh Ritter opening at the beautiful Flynn Theater in Burlington Vermont. The show was last night.

Ritter opened with an energetic and upbeat 40 minute set. He and his band (4 piece counting him) were very tight, the songs had a lot of variety and the sound was perfect. He closed out with a rousing "Getting up to get down" which brought the crowd to their feet and cheering for more. We could have listened to him all night and will certainly see him again if we have the chance.

I am new to Isbell this year (thanks to all of you on this site) and don't know all of the song titles. I'm mostly familiar with the two most recent, and more mellow, albums.

He and the 400 Unit opened with a thundering Palmetto Rose and proceeded to rock very loudly for 4-5 numbers including Stockholm and 24 Frames. This portion culminated with a absolutely killer Decoration Day, extended with dueling guitar solos. Classic hard southern rock and its finest.

He then transitioned into his more acoustic repertoire drawing heavily from the last two records. The highlights were the absolutely heartbreaking "The Elephant" and a passionate "Cover Me Up". This set eventually sped back up with "If it takes a lifetime" and closed out with a heavy rocker that I didn't recognize but was killer.

For the encore, Ritter joined him for a John Prine tune since it was Prine's 70th birthday. Then the band kicked into overdrive with "Super 8 Motel". The closer was a very cool and intense version of "Children of Children"

The audience was on its feet cheering and stomping. This was a great, great show from start to finish. I love bands that can strip down to the most subtle acoustic emotion and also thunder with ear splitting rock. This is an artist and band at their peak. I am so glad we went - both acts were excellent and it was a good reminder of why we love music. It was definitely worth the sleep deprived yawns at work today!!

If you get a chance to see this tour - go!

[track11]

Sounds like a great night.
Thanks for sharing!

[bltkmt]

Happy belated anniversary to the Rusty's!

[Rusty]

I realize that no one is reading this thread any more but thanks to the internet and my aging memory, I now have the actual set list for Isbell.

Palmetto Rose
Flying Over Water
Stockholm
24 Frames
Something More than Free
Decoration Day
Speed Trap Town
Travelling Alone
How to Forget
Different Days
Codeine
Elephant
Alabama Pines
Cover Me Up
If It Takes a Lifetime
Never Gonna Change

Encore:
Prine duet with Ritter
Super 8
Children of Children