Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit delighted Pittsburgh fans at sold-out show
PITTSBURGH ― Concertgoers packed the Benedum Center on Saturday to hear intelligent lyrics sung with absolute clarity and shaped by a stellar band that sounded inspired.
No sense over-analyzing it, Jason Isbell and his band The 400 Unit simply delivered a dynamite performance.
Decked out in a button-down tan shirt, jeans and sparkly sneakers, Isbell commanded attention; often closing his eyes when hitting the most emotional parts of songs such as in leadoff pick "When We Were Close," a touching song about nostalgia and regret relating to his musician friend, the late Justin Townes Earle.
Next came mid-tempo "Stockholm," with drummer Chad Gamble providing the stomp and the bit of space that hallmarks an excellent hook. Gamble's stark, crisp smacks of the edge of one drum heightened the intensity of "Save The World," where Isbell sings about protective fatherly instincts after learning of yet another school shooting.
The show's excellent sound mix brought out the accordion and a singular hand-held percussion on "Strawberry Woman."
A large, angled square lighting fixture provided the lone visual element of note, as the band charged through its 19-song set that included standout slide guitar from Sadler Vaden on the back-to-back "Speed Trap Town" and "24 Frames," songs that had helped establish Isbell as a Grammy Award-decorated Americana artist.
Isbell took his share of lead guitar moments, thrillingly shredding on "King of Oklahoma."
His clear voice took on a cool hint of a growl on the blue-collar anthem "Something More Than Free."
The audience gave extra love to "Super 8," Isbell's witty tale of rabblerousing in a motel while on tour. It's hard not to smile at a chorus of "Don't want to die in a Super 8 motel/Just because somebody's evening didn't go so well."
Isbell credited the Pittsburgh crowd for bringing the right enthusiasm, noting at some theater performances he senses the vibe of season ticket holders who'd favor "La Traviata" over his more rustic, rocking sound.
Granted, the vast majority of Benedum Center spectators stayed seated during the show, prompting that awkward situation where a handful of people insisted on standing the whole time, ignoring the shouts of "sit down" from blocked-view fans behind them. I say read the room: If 95 percent of people are seated, you should, too. Not like you can't dance in your seat.
It was impossible not to sway and swivel in your seat as Isbell + The 400 Unit tore into "Honeysuckle Blues" by Vaden's former band Drivin N Cryin. That guitar-drenched song repeatedly slowed to the point where all that stood out was Gamble's fierce one-handed drum whacks, before the speed picked back up again and the guitars once more ran wild.
"Miles" started with a Crazy Horse-ish glory and ruckus.
The mood shifted and the audience hung on Isbell's every fatalistic word of "If We Were Vampires," with lines like "Maybe we'll get 40 years together/But one day I'll be gone/Or one day you'll be gone."
A highly pleasing, accordion-fueled run through Bob Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece" ended the set, with the two-song encore launched by "Cover Me Up" featuring Isbell alone on stage. As customary, the crowd cheered loudly for the part where Isbell movingly sings about his decision to get sober. Always a goosebump moment.
Amid divorce proceedings with Amanda Shires, whose fiddle and backing vocals for the band always will be missed, Isbell seemed in good spirits Saturday.
Halfway through his set he gave a shout-out to opening act Palehound, for reminding him how fun hanging backstage and performing can be.
It was disappointing to see how many Isbell fans stayed in the lobby or beer/cocktail line and missed Palehound's lively indie-rock set powered by the thick, warm bass grooves of bassist Larz Brogan.
Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Jason Isbell thrills Pittsburgh fans at sold-out Benedum Center
