Jason Isbell Brings Soul, Sweet Sounds of Folk Rock to Dubuque

It was another full slate of concerts for Q Casino + Resort's Back Waters Stage. The day before Ice Nine Kills and In This Moment took the stage on Saturday, August 10th, a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and his marvelous band treated a crowd of a couple thousand people to the sweet, varied sounds of his music.

That artist was Jason Isbell, along with his band, The 400 Unit. Isbell performed songs from his latest album, Weathervanes, along with numerous favorites in his repertoire, including "Cast Iron Skillet," "Alabama Pines," and more.

Before Isbell took the stage, all eyes were on Shemekia Copeland, a rising name in the music stratosphere. Copeland is a wonderful blues and soul singer. She not only livened the crowd with her music, but witty banter.

Following her performance of her song "Barefoot in Heaven," Copeland joked that she couldn't wait to get to Heaven and pledged that she would completely ditch clothes as soon as she found herself at the pearly gates. "I'm not gonna wear Spanx, I'm taking it all off!" she remarked. Furthermore, give her song "Never Goin' Back to Memphis" a listen. Beautiful stuff.

Following Copeland's time in the spotlight, just as night fall, music began to play again, the lights illuminated, and there was Jason Isbell alongside The 400 Unit.

Any fan of Isbell will tell you what an incredible storyteller he is. His music often details the lives of wanderers, who look inside themselves but also externally. He can capture a world of emotion and empathy in just a few fleeting minutes. His latest album, Weathervanes, is the perfect example of that:

There is something about boundaries on this record. As you mature, you still attempt to keep the ability to love somebody fully and completely while you’re growing into an adult and learning how to love yourself. - Jason Isbell on his new album Weathervanes, per a press release from Q Casino

Of all his tunes, the Isbell song that struck me the most was "King of Oklahoma." The song tells the story of a man who experienced an on-the-job accident that resulted in the man becoming addicted to painkillers, to the point where his wife leaves him and takes the kids with her.

You can feel the heartbreak in the chorus, coupled with Isbell's powerhouse vocals and the 400 Unit's immaculate compositions:

She used to wake me up with coffee every morning
And I'd hear her homemade house shoes slide across the floor
She used to make me feel like the king of Oklahoma
But nothing makes me feel like much of nothing anymore - Jason Isbell, "King of Oklahoma"

One thing I can assure you: people traveled for this show. During my live broadcast ahead of the show, I met a couple from Spring Grove, IA. And another from Duluth, MN. Jason Isbell has amassed fans far and wide, and his talents were on full display for all to behold last Friday.

Until next time, I'll see you at one of these upcoming shows on the Back Waters Stage:

• Disturbed and Plush will be performing on Wednesday, August 28th.
• Riley Green brings another great country show to the area on Thursday, August 29th.