On Saturday, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit brought their six-show stand at Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium to a close. The extended run had something of an overarching Memphis arc, with each show boasting a different opening act with deep ties to the city and Isbell busting out a unique Big Star cover each night.
The residency kicked off on October 15 with Southern Avenue on the bill and Isbell performing Big Star’s “When My Baby's Beside Me,” from their classic #1 Record, for the first time since 2010. Then, the next day, The Bo-Keys supplied support duties and all the members of the 400 Unit joined Isbell on guitar for his debut take on the Radio City Big Star tune “I'm in Love With a Girl,” while, the following night, Al Kapone & The Blues Rap Band welcomed the crowd and the evening’s headliner debuted another #1 Record cut, “Thirteen.” (He also offered his solo cut “Wind Behind the Rain” with the 400 Unit for the first time.)
The run’s second week picked up on October 22 with Ben Nichols warming up the crowd and Isbell taking his first stab at the Radio City rocker “September Gurls” and reviving his own “How to Forget” for the first time since 2022. From there, on October 23, Amy LaVere opened and Isbell dug deep by debuting the #1 Record cut “The Ballad of El Goodo,” playing his “Tour of Duty” with 400 Unit for the first time since 2023 and pulling out “Letting You Go” for the first time in any live context since 2022. Finally, on the final night of the run, Tony Thomas Three appeared early on and Isbell offered the #1 Record tune “Feel” for the first time.
Up next, Isbell will offer an “evening with” show at Groton, MA’s Groton Hill Music Center on November 4.
