Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit returned to The Ryman Auditorium for an impressive eight-day residency at the iconic venue.
Many bands aspire to step out onto the legendary Ryman stage once in their career. Not only have Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit managed to do this multiple times already, but the fact that they are able to host an eight-day residency year after year is no mean feat. The moment these shows are released for sale, fans clamber to get their hands on the hottest tickets in town. People travel from far and wide to attend these shows.
On the night of the show, fans turn up early to secure their place in line which wraps around the side of the venue. This isn’t to secure a spot at the rail since The Ryman is all assigned seating. Instead, the moment the doors open, people rush inside and straight up the stairs in order to grab themselves some limited edition merchandise such as posters and t-shirts. Some have been produced especially for the Ryman residency shows and some are specific to each night.
These shows differ from the rest of the tour dates in that the setlist changes significantly from night to night. The setlist on the night we attended still relied heavily on the latest release, Weathervanes, with songs such as “King of Oklahoma,” “Cast Iron Skillet,” “Strawberry Woman,” and “This Ain’t It” all included. They also performed covers of R.E.M.’s “Driver 8” and “Goddamn Lonely Love” from Isbell’s days with Drive-By Truckers.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. Jason Isbell is often lauded for his songwriting capabilities, and rightly so. However, you can’t overlook his skills as a guitarist (in early interviews he said a few times that he still felt like/considered himself a lead guitar player first and foremost). The extra flourishes that he adds during live performances do not go unnoticed, no matter how effortless he makes it look. You never feel like Isbell and Vaden are competing for the role of lead guitarist, but instead complement and bolster each other, always with the ultimate intention of serving the song (a few guitar fun widdly back-and-forths to close out songs aside!). Having Chad Gamble and Will Johnson doubling up on drums for “Miles” was the perfect example of why Jason drafted in the Centro-matic frontman as the band’s “Swiss Army Knife” (in the mold of Scott Thurston in the Heartbreakers, though perhaps even more adaptable). It’s such a great song to end the evening on. There’s always something different to notice during the performance of this song, but, in particular, it’s impossible to keep your eyes off the dueling drummers at the back of the stage on this one. Derry deBorja, as always, provided his influence on the band’s sound adding warmth and melody throughout the evening, whether it be on the keys or accordion. Anna Butterss, fresh off the release of “Dance Steve” from their upcoming album Mighty Vertebrate, rounded out the lineup on bass and double bass duties. With that many band members on stage, you’d be forgiven for thinking the sound would be overpowering. Quite the contrary, in fact. Each of the six band members expertly adds their own piece to the sound (sometimes subtly but always impactfully) to ensure these songs are presented to the audience exactly the way they want them to be.
These residency shows are a must-see for any Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit fan, something that you need to experience at least once. Each night has a different opening band and with a different setlist each night, no two shows are ever the same. If you can grab a ticket for any of the remaining four nights of this Ryman run, we would strongly recommend making the trip to catch a songwriter and band in their prime, playing a US venue that has truly earned the title of “iconic.”
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