I do the bulk of my concert going and music photography in and around Seattle but had the opportunity to attend Jason Isbell’s ‘Shoalsfest’ in Florence, Alabama in mid October. This year’s festival included performances by Jackson Browne, Waxahatchee, MJ Lenderman, Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham, Garrison Starr, Patterson Hood, Chris Tompkins, and Isbell, both solo and with his band, the 400 Unit.
Shoalsfest is held in McFarland Park on the shores of the Tennessee River and this year’s event took place under blue skies and in ideal fall weather. Saturday’s show began with a lively set from Mississippi resident Garrison Starr. Starr and her band were well received by the large and appreciative audience. I was previously unfamiliar with her work but enjoyed her performance. Her music would fit in perfectly on a mixtape (does anyone still make mixtapes?) featuring acts such as Melissa Etheridge, the Indigo Girls, and Sheryl Crow.
Starr was followed by local legends Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham. Penn and Oldham were instrumental in the writing and production of R&B staples such as ‘The Dark End of the Street,’ ‘Sweet Inspiration,’ ‘I’m Your Puppet,’ ‘You Left the Water Running,’ ‘Do Right Woman’ and more. Both of these R&B elder statesmen are now in their 80’s and move at a more deliberate and considered pace than they did in their ’60s heyday but their ability to deliver this iconic material remains undiminished. Their set was pure pleasure and an absolute thrill to anyone with an appreciation for the history of American pop music.
Jason Isbell, Patterson Hood (Drive By Truckers), and songwriter Chris Tompkins took the stage next for a round robin selection of tunes delivered on acoustic guitars. Highlights included Hood and Isball dueting on several Drive By Truckers songs and a lovely set closing cover of Neil Young’s ‘Unknown Legend’.
Jackson Browne and his outstanding band closed out the first evening of the festival with a satisfying set mined from all era’s of the popular singer/songwriter’s career. Day one of Shoalsfest ended with Isbell joining Browne on an extended pairing of ‘Take It Easy’ and ‘Our Lady of the Well.’ It would be hard to imagine a more diverse, expansive, and enjoyable day of music.
The second day of the festival began with the guitar centric sounds of MJ Lenderman & the Wind. It was impossible to not think of Neil Young & Crazy Horse while listening to Lenderman. The raucous and messy (in a good way) interplay of the guitars, the oddly specific yet somehow oblique poetry of the songwriting, and, perhaps most of all, Lenderman’s vocals all bring to mind ‘Tonight’s the Night,’ ‘Zuma’ and other peak Young efforts. Lenderman and his band played a healthy portion of his excellent 2024 release Manning Fireworks and were joined by Katie Crutchfield for a wonderful version of ‘She’s Leaving You.’
Waxahatchee (i.e. Katie Crutchfiled and her top-notch touring band) took the stage for the festival’s penultimate performance to much applause and anticipation from the capacity crowd. I enjoyed Katie’s most recent release, 2024’s Tiger’s Blood but it took seeing her live for me to really appreciate her craft and capabilities. Her songwriting, inviting voice, and her assured stage presence were all on clear display during her winning performance. She was joined in return by MJ Lenderman, who added his guitar and vocals to 4 songs.
Jason Isbell & 400 Unit then delivered the festival’s closing performance. Isbell grew up in and around the Muscle Shoals area and was received by the adoring audience as something of a hometown hero. He made reference to his well chronicled ‘complex past’ by joking that, as he’s now received the key to the city in Florence, were he to get taken to jail later in the evening he could just let himself back out again. I’ve had the good fortune to have seen Isbell perform 8 times previously and his set at Shoalsfest may have been the best of the bunch. The song selection was inspired, the band was razor sharp, and Isbell clearly relished the opportunity to play for friends and family in the audience, addressing crowd members by name and smiling throughout the thrilling and generous set.
