Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit at the Birmingham Symphony Hall

For those who have not heard of either Jason Isbell or his music before, he is regarded by the country fraternity as one of the finest songwriters out there, and who am I to argue. With Isbell you don’t get big production. He and his incredibly talented band stroll onto the Symphony Hall stage with no fuss and treated the enthralled crowd to two hours of class. Isbell also records and performs solo away from The 400 Unit, and tonight as most nights he mixes his solo stuff with The 400 Unit material, and his previous band, the Drive-By Truckers, no less. But what comes across is the consistency of the quality of the songs, like Speed ‘Trap Town’ and ‘Super 8’, painting visions in your mind of small-town America.

What a collection of great players he has, and it has to be said that Jason Isbell himself is certainly no slouch, as witnessed on several magnificent guitar solos, and at one point joining his guitarist Sadler Vaden on acoustic guitars for a couple of tunes, ‘Ride To Robert’s’ and ‘Crimson And Clay’ – sublime. Of course, had to play one of my favourites, ‘If We Were Vampires’. If you don’t know the song, don’t assume based on the title. It always makes you think, especially if you’re in a long-term relationship. As I said, thought provoking. The very personal, ‘Cover Me Up’, about his previous alcohol addiction, always receives a round of applause mid song.

The Birmingham audience was transfixed from first to last song, and everyone here will be hoping for another visit to our shores as quick as possible. Amazing.

Photos by Geoff Griffe
Review by Jenny Griffe