Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit rile up Rockford, IL

90 miles west of Chicago, a musician at the pinnacle of his craft ascended upon the resilient town of Rockford, IL. It was the introspective rock talents of Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, with a block party right outside of the historic Coronado Theatre marking the event. Located right on Main Street, friends, fans, and strangers gathered to take in local vendors and a band that served as an unofficial opener to the main attraction.

Fresh off a recent show in Iowa, Jason Isbell had people excited.

Bouncing around from group to group, you could hear fans asking, “I wonder if he will play ‘Cover Me Up’,” or “Which Drive-By Truckers songs will he cover?” If you have been lucky enough to take in a masterful evening with Jason Isbell, you know fully that each performance will be as unique as his lyrical poetry, and enamor you with the talents of his 400 Unit bandmates.

The doors opened promptly at 6:30pm. Fans started to trickle in one-by-one for an opportunity to grab a beer or a poster created specifically for his night in Rockford — a one-of-a-kind bragging right to say ‘I was there’.

The Coronado Theatre is a historic gem downtown in Illinois’ fourth-largest city and has been standing since October 1927. Jason has been known to play theatres with rich characteristics, so the Coronado served as an absolutely ideal venue choice to receive his music.

Earlier in the year, Jason played the Chicago Theatre, where he treated a sold-out audience to the newly released album Foxes in the Snow. That show, along with the winter tour, was made up of solo acoustic performances for the ages, playing classics like “Ride to Robert’s” and “Bury Me” that showcased his talents to range from Southern rocker to a deeply intimate solo artist.

Ticket punched, merch acquired, M&Ms and a Coke in hand, it was time to start the show.

Isbell made his way to the front of the stage with a grin on his face before launching into a thrilling performance of his new hit “Crimson & Clay”. Hearing this song played with the 400 Unit signaled that any song — solo or band-backed — is in his arsenal for the evening.

The setlist was crafted with the utmost care in mind. New songs aside, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit made sure to give the fans big hits early, like “Traveling Alone” and “Strawberry Woman” off of his ‘Best American Album’ GRAMMY-winner Weathervanes, which he wrote on the set of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.

Each song brought us down deeper into the depths of his musical immortality, an invitation into his marred past that has become the very canvas for his soul-bearing creation. “If We Were Vampires” had the crowd softly singing along to a beautifully crafted song about the urgency of love and time’s ever-imposing thievery. An excerpt from the song that I find myself mulling over on tough but hopeful times is:

“It’s knowing that this can’t go on forever // Likely, one of us will have to spend some days alone…”

You could hold a glass under any given person’s eyes and collect a tear if you desired. Two songs later, he reintroduced the crowd to a song he wrote when he was just 24. “Decoration Day” was originally written in 2003 when he was in his six-year stint with the Drive-By Truckers. The song paints a brutally detailed picture of a man reflecting on a long-standing feud between two Alabama families. His father was involved in the violence and, now, the narrator must decide whether to carry the grudge or let it die.

He let this song rip and the band roared with many impressive solos. Awestruck, fans were standing out of their seats to cheer. By the time the encore came and went, Jason wished everyone well before walking off the stage and into the dark Illinois night. If you asked the fans to sign up for another full set right there on the spot, I’d bet over 80% would have obliged and come back after hitting the refreshment stand for refills.

The true question would be if a human being who has laid it all on the line for the last two hours could sustain one more song without collapsing from sheer emotional and physical exhaustion. If you had a keen ear, you would have picked up on one of Isbell’s largest influences ushering you out of the venue: Tom Petty’s “Time to Move On” put the finishing touches on an unforgettable performance in the resilient town of Rockford.

Photography by John Bender

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