Another Year at the Ryman Jason Isbell Residency Round Three

Recapping my third year seeing Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit on their yearly Ryman run.

For me, the most wonderful time of the year is mid October when Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit set up camp at the Ryman for their annual two weekend residencies. This year was my third time attending one of these shows and it also marked the tenth anniversary of Jason’s residencies. If you are new here, pretty much every time I go see Isbell I hop on here to recap it. My first Ryman show was in 2023 and it was one of the most special concerts ever because they surprised us by playing Southeastern front to back. Last year I went on opening night and he covered Losing My Religion by R.E.M.

What makes the Ryman run so different from an average JI400U show is that superfans from all over fly in and you often hear songs that are not usually in the band’s rotation. They also tend to do fun covers you will only ever get at the Ryman. Jason and most of the band live in Nashville, so it feels like a homecoming for them, and the Ryman is such a big part of their story. It is also one of my favorite places to see a show. The history in that room is unreal and it truly feels like going to church, especially when Jason is playing.

This year felt special because I got to bring my friend Courtney, who some of you know as the admin for the Drive By Truckers group and one of the admins for the Jason Isbell Facebook group. She is from Georgia and usually sees the band there or in Alabama, so this was her first Ryman show. Getting to take her meant a lot to me and we also rode to Robert’s before the show and that was fun. This was also my first time going on the second weekend, and if you know the Ryman runs, the later the weekend the crazier the setlist and the bigger the chance you will hear some deepcuts.

Before we get into the 400 Unit, I want to talk about the openers. This year was different from past residencies because instead of touring acts they teamed up with public schools and music programs across the Southeast to showcase students and educators who are shaping the next generation of live music. Our openers were the Nashville School of the Arts and they were so fun to watch. Several students took turns singing songs they wrote and they were complete naturals. The crowd was pretty packed for them and it made me really happy to see these kids get a core memory playing to a full Ryman audience. I know they will cherish it forever.

To set the scene for the main set, we were in the middle balcony. This was my first time sitting up there since I had always sat in the downstairs pews. The lower level is a gamble because even though you are closer, a pole can completely block your view. I actually preferred the balcony and might go back there next year unless we somehow score the first few rows.

One thing that really stood out was that no one that we could see in the balcony was standing or dancing. If you know me, you know once Jason comes out I am usually on my feet jamming the entire time, but I did not want to block anyone’s view so I stayed seated the whole night. Courtney is used to being on the front row, so it was new for both of us. It was so hard to stay still because the opening trio of songs was probably the best three song opener at any Isbell show I have been to. He started with my number one favorite song ever, King of Oklahoma, then went right into 24 Frames and Decoration Day. I kept turning to Courtney with my jaw dropped. I knew right then we were in for something special.

After that we got two songs from Reunions. Only Children, which I had been hoping for because it had been awhile, and Overseas, which has become a setlist staple and is always so fun to watch as Jason and Sadler tear into that guitar solo. Another standout was Tupelo from The Nashville Sound. My family lives about forty minutes from Tupelo so that one always makes me smile and I adore his vocals on it. We also got Relatively Easy, which I had only heard once during the Southeastern show, and the Drive By Truckers classic, Danko/Manuel, which was my first time hearing it with the full band. It was incredible.

After they finished Danko, Jason joked that the song was about Will Johnson and actually all the songs were about Will, which made me laugh. It is extra funny because he does have a song about Will and his band Centro matic called To A Band That I Loved, but they have never played it live.

The deep cut gem of the night was The Magician from Jason’s first solo record Sirens of the Ditch released in 2007. It was their first time playing it since 2018 and Jason’s matured vocals plus Will Johnson and Anna Butterss performing it for the first time gave it a fresh feel. Jason joked that it was his first time playing that song without a headache because it was heavy in the set rotation before he got sober.

The best moment of the night came during the encore when Jason announced it was special treat time. For the first time ever, drummer Chad Gamble took the mic and sang lead vocals as they covered Remedy by The Band. If you are used to only seeing Chad behind the kit, it might shock you to hear how good of a singer he is. He used to sing in The Gamble Brothers Band with his brother Al and wow he has pipes. The crowd erupted when he finished. It was also funny and sweet to see Jason not sing and just play guitar for once. Chad has real star power and I would love to see him sing again.

In case you are wondering why they covered Remedy, during these Ryman shows it has become a tradition that the band picks an artist and each night they cover a different song by them. Last year it was R.E.M. and this year it was The Band, which made perfect sense since Danko/Manuel is about them. They closed the night with one of their iconic ending songs, Miles.

Overall it was probably my favorite 400 Unit set so far, and I know I say that almost every time but they really do keep getting better. I have seen them over ten times and the fact that they still manage to play at least one song I have never heard live keeps it exciting. Being surrounded by superfans in the Ryman always feels like a homecoming. I met a few people who follow me and it was wonderful talking with them. I never go to a Ryman show now without seeing familiar faces and that is so special.

I also realized I have only done one Ryman show each year, so Courtney and I decided that next year we have to try for three in a row. I cannot wait. I have a Isbell solo show coming up in January, so I will see you all then!