The Indie-folk band known for their wistful acoustic tunes captivates fans with a compelling performance.
Gregory Alan Isakov’s haunting acoustic set Thursday Feb. 29 at Cain’s Ballroom created a nostalgic feeling everyone in the audience would reminisce about after they went home. The concert felt like sitting with a close group of friends on a cool autumn night gathered around a campfire with a full moon in the sky and a banjo in hand. The stage lights danced as the light from a campfire does on friends’ faces, and a drum set served as the moon that glowed a burnt orange throughout the show. The Tulsa show opened with the song “Before the Sun” followed by “Southern Star,” “Dark, Dark, Dark,” “San Luis” and “The Fall.” Throughout the show, the band played older hits, as well as a handful from Isakov’s newest album, “Appaloosa Bones,” which shares its title with the tour and was released in August 2023. Isakov has six studio albums and released his first, “Rust Colored Stones” in 2003.
When not on tour, Isakov lives in Boulder County, Colorado, though he is originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, and immigrated to the United States in 1986 where he was raised in Philadelphia. Isakov runs a small farm that supplies restaurants, Community Supported Agriculture members and a local food bank.
His band includes talented instrumentalists who played guitar, piano, drums, harmonica, violin and cello during the show. Next, Isakov played “This Empty Northern Hemisphere,” and when the musicians played intensely, the stage erupted into flashing colored lights, then suddenly the music slowed, and the audience could see the silhouette of Isakov’s signature fedora in a cool blue haze. The band interacted between sets, and Isakov and his band members stood face to face playing their instruments together until the lyrics to “Big Black Car” began.
The crowd swayed and nodded their heads as they performed “3 a.m.” Isakov also played “If I go, I’m goin” with Leif Vollebekk, who opened the show at Cain’s Ballroom. The crowd swayed reverently as they listened. Before “Amsterdam,” Isakov thanked the crowd for coming and spoke about his experience with The Lumineers, who covered the song “Caves” at the same time he covered their song “Salt and the Sea.” He also opened for The Lumineers in 2022 before he started touring on his own. Most recently, he was featured on a song by Jeremiah Fraites from The Lumineers and has also worked with artists like Noah Kahan on his song “Paul Revere.” Isakov also released an album in collaboration with the Colorado Symphony. After playing the songs “Too Far Away,” “Liars” and “Watchman,” the band left the stage, leaving the crowd screaming for them to come back for an encore of “The Stable Song,” “Second Chances” and “Silver Bell.” During the encore, the band gathered closely around Isakov’s microphone, singing along and playing their instruments in harmony. At the end of the show, they backed up into a line and took several bows while the crowd cheered them on, thanking them for an incredible show. Isakov and his band will continue touring the US for his 2024 tour until September, ending with two sold-out concerts in Morrison, Colorado.
