Gregory Alan Isakov stops at The Midland to kick off the second leg of the Appaloosa Bones Tour

October 1, 2023

Zoe Strohm,

Gregory Alan Isakov // Photo by Zoe Strohm

Folk singer Gregory Alan Isakov’s Midland stop Friday night is one to remember. The Appaloosa Bones tour follows the release of his first album in five years by the same name.

Due to illness of the original opener, opening act Fruit Bats was a last minute addition, with solo singer Eric D. Johnson saying he had been sitting on his couch at home just the day before when Isakov asked him to join for a few shows.

Fruit Bats completely acoustic set was a great way to set the mood for the show. Fans of the band called out requests, to which Johnson obliged. Despite having close to 3,000 people in attendance, the interactions felt very intimate with the whole crowd, not just those along the barricade.

The opening set lasted 30 minutes, followed by Isakov at 8:30 p.m.

He started with “Before the Sun”—a song from the new album. Fans screamed as he entered, but fell into a hush as the music began.

Isakov is the type of performer that casts a quietness over the crowd. Everyone swayed to the music, simply listening with the occasional quiet singing. This phenomenon was something I had never seen at a concert, but seemed entirely normal and expected. Like every person in the crowd was experiencing the music individually, instead of in a large theatre.

His five person band—made up of Jeff Bows on violin, Steve Varney on banjo, piano, and guitar, Max Barcelow on drums, John Paul Grigsby on bass and Danny Black on keys, guitar, and lap steel—were each given their own moment in the spotlight, showcasing an appreciation for their craft.

Even when he encouraged the crowd to sing with him during his song Caves, it was not like any concert I had ever experienced before. Rather than screaming and jumping, it was soft rocking and a quiet harmony, almost like no one wanted to interrupt the atmosphere that has been created. There were a few songs were I just stood with my eyes closed in the middle of thousands of people and felt completely isolated and peaceful.

The band signaled the end of the show, left for a few moments before returning for an encore of three songs, include my personal favorite and the reason I started listening to his music, “All Shades of Blue.” These three songs were performed around one mic, with the band taking turns stepping up front to play their respective instruments directly for the crowd.

They then ended the encore with a bow to the crowd, before Isakov returned to stage for a second encore, playing one of his most popular tracks “The Stable Song.” This was the only time I heard the entire crowd sing together for the entire song, and still it was to boost Isakov instead of sing over him.

In just two hours, I think I felt what it means to be at true peace and experience genuine community with a bunch of other modern day hippies in overalls, Birks, and Patagonia.