Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Double Down at the Rialto Square Theater

“Did you see them up there? Isbell and Sadler just battling it out!”

“Dude…it was INsane. *mouth guitar noises*”

“Yeah! *also mouth guitar noises*”

The above was a shared exchange between two men as they each erode a urinal cake in the Rialto Square Theater’s bathroom. Still reeling from an Isbell/Vaden solo sesh heard moments earlier…and honestly, it’s warranted. There’s a big stadium backing to a Jason Isbell performance, so it’s understandable why two men that have spent more than half their life in a Buffalo Wild Wings talk about them like they’re sport stars.

Joliet, located about an hour southwest of Chicago, is not a big town and the two day flood of Isbell fans definitely put its infrastructure to the test. Their wide appeal stemming from a catalog packed with simple pleasures, heartache, unbridled joy and sobering reality. They do it all with conviction and truth, adding a backing track to any reflective period of your life.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit are experts in engineered nostalgia. There’s a sense you know every song by heart, even the new ones you’ve never heard. Their mid-song jams expand on the emotional thread of each piece, adding in space for extended contemplation rather than just a cool filler riff.

“Super 8” shows a country boy in crisis, which is what shines brightest in Isbell’s songwriting. In the shallow pool of male Americana artists, Isbell’s in the deep end. Wading and giving a voice to middle class existentialism, a subject normally kept under wraps. A man that openly battles with sobriety, societal unrest and what’s historically expected from a native Alabamian (google says that’s right) which exposes Isabell’s main strength: vulnerability. *mouth guitar noises*

The 400 Unit is made up of long-time Isbell collaborators, most of whom played on his solo records. Jimbo Hart and Chad Gamble make up the rhythm section - bass and drums respectively. Producer and multi-instrumentalist Matt Pense recently joined the band on tour to fill gaps on percussion and rhythm guitar, or as Isbell put it Tuesday night, “playing all sorts of shit”. Derry DeBorja, formerly of Son Volt, is on keys. Sadler Vader, formerly of Drivin’ N Cryin’, joins Isbell on both rhythm and lead guitar. Imagine Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers in a county jail.

Isbell played songs from his extensive catalog over the course of two nights, including music from the 400 Unit, his solo work and The Drive-By Truckers. Tuesday’s show favored several tracks from the band’s latest album, 2020’s Reunions, including songs like “Dreamsicle”, “Overseas”, and “Running With Our Eyes Closed.” They also played their new single, “Death Wish”, which was released just last month. Their new album Weathervanes is set to release June 9th of this year.

Wednesday night’s show was an unofficial 20th anniversary celebration of Isbell’s fourth solo album, Southeastern. The band played six songs from the record, including “Stockholm,” “Traveling Alone,” “Elephant,” Flying Over Water “ and “Super 8”. Both shows ended (pre-encore) with the album’s opening track, “Cover Me Up,” a song packed with so much emotion and vulnerability you’d have to be made of stone to hold back the goosebumps and tears.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit continue their expansive 2023 tour in Australia on April 5th before heading back to the U.S. towards the end of the month. They’ll be on the road through the end of summer. For more information and tickets, visit here.

See photos from the band’s two shows in Joliet below.

Written by Andreas Aristides (@souvlakiandgrits)

Photos by Josh Druding (@joshdruding)