Alysse Gafjken
Grammy award-winning artist Jason Isbell has long been considered something of a prophet amongst his fans.
His songs are often autobiographical, detailing everything from his journey to sobriety to his romance with his wife, fiddle player and singer Amanda Shires. His lyrics are relatable and emotional, his guitar playing toggles between face melting and lullaby-like. His shows are pilgrimages for many—especially his annual residency at the Ryman Auditorium. In fact, this will be the first time in four years that Isbell won’t take the stage alongside his band The 400 Unit to hold court for a multi-night residency that true disciples know includes a new setlist every night. Despite the event’s popularity, Isbell doesn’t want to find a virtual substitute for the in-the-flesh experience.
“I don’t want to do an abbreviated version of things. There’s no way to recreate the residency at The Ryman. You can’t even do anything that will remind people of that experience,” he says. “We can wait. People will still be there, and they’ll still want to come back when it’s safe to do that.”
In the meantime, Isbell fans have been devouring his newest album Reunions, which he released in May.
“I was glad that we had it and that it was done because it did give us some energy,” he says of sharing new music in the midst of the pandemic. “It was nice because I felt like I had something to offer. I wasn’t just taking myself out of the musical community and waiting; I had something to contribute.”
But for an artist who’s spent the better part of his life onstage, not touring a new album proved to be a struggle.
“It was really strange to put it out and not be able to play the songs. Usually as soon as you put a record out, you’re out there playing them every night and they start taking on a life of their own and you see which ones mean more to people in the audience. I miss it a lot. It was a good record and people liked it and that made me really happy, but it would have been nice to go out and play the songs every night for folks.”
For Isbell it’s more than just the roar of the crowd that has him waxing nostalgic about performing.
“I miss my band onstage and I miss being packed into a room with people and playing loud music, but there’s nothing I can do about it right now,” he says. “It may be controversial, but rather than just accepting the things I can’t change I’ve decided to celebrate them. It’s hard enough to try to accept it, but to go to the next level and be happy about it is a whole new ballgame. But it gives me a goal, and right now I’m happy that we can’t go out and play live shows. And the only reason I am is because we have no other choice.”