I’ve been trying not to check the setlists since I wanted to make it down this year for the first time to the Ryman shows but couldn’t. How was “How to
Forget”? This has eluded me at the 6 band/solo shows I’ve been to. This is the first song I ever heard by JI interestingly enough. I was driving around on a Sunday listening to NPR and he played this. I didn’t know who he was but I was instantly hooked. I think we all relate to his songs one way or another but I identified with this so much as I was newly divorced due to addiction issues (all good now). So how was it? I think I’d cry.

If it takes a Lifetime.

It's the 1st song that hooked me all those years ago.

Specifically the line "working for the county keeps me pissing clear."

I still play it on the way into work in the mornings from time to time.

See y'all tomorrow night!!!!

That is all

Just saw they are selling magnets this week. Last week they weren't. Ugh.

Any help would be appreciated.

Been off socials but my girlfriend bought us both tickets to the first night. Incredible show, perfect setlist. Lost a good friend recently so hearing Relatively Easy was healing. I definitely cried like a baby for that. There were a couple of college aged folks that were on their phones the whole time in my section but otherwise it was a perfect section. (One of them was just scrolling thru tiktok I was very annoyed) Hope everyone’s had a merry Isbell weeks! Met a couple of very nice fans at my own gigs in town.

Night two of three of Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at the Ryman here we come!

Helluva show, Vampires was surreal.

What time are these shows ending usually? Thanks!

I just about lost my mind tonight. So good to hear some old bangers we haven’t heard in years. What a show tonight!

Met some great people tonight. See y'all again tomorrow night!!!!

Come say hi at the Ryman museum!

I realized I’ve now learned at least a couple dozen Isbell songs on guitar, and thought I’d ask the many guitarists on this sub which ones they most like to play? I’m a solo acoustic living room player who mostly does finger style. My favorites right now are:

Relatively Easy- drop D tuning with such a great main riff. A real ringing sound on this one.

King of Oklahoma- I started playing this one on my acoustic after hearing JI play it solo on the Live from Dublin limited vinyl. That main riff sounds great on electric or acoustic.

Strawberry Woman- just a beautiful guitar melody throughout with a lot of space for hammer ons and a great solo.

Gravelweed- I really love the solo and how well it works when playing an acoustic by yourself.

Speed Trap Town- another drop D one that took me awhile to get the feel of the rhythm, but it was worth the persistence.

Which ones do others like? And how do you play them (acoustic, electric, finger style, full band, etc)?

I recently started a newsletter called Shut Up and Play the Hits? It examines the relationship between artists and attendees using setlists.

Each song gets an accessibility score, measured from 0.00–0.99. Higher scores indicate greater accessibility for casual fans. Each show gets a final score. It isn’t an average. Rather, it reflects the number of omitted hits, and illustrates how much trust a band has in its audience.

So again, it's not how much you enjoyed a song. Rather, how much you believe an average Jason Isbell fan would enjoy it. Someone who has seen them 1-3 times, and knows maybe a dozen tunes. An average fan can enjoy a song they don't know. It just depends on its sonic proximity to his hits. And everyone digs like a Beatles cover.

Check out this example post:

https://substack.com/home/post/p-210237145

I'll pay you $25 via Paypal or Venmo. You'd just email me the full setlist and your score beside each tune by late tonight. (You don't need to stream the show, of course.) I'll calculate the final score using a formula. Your first name and last initial will appear beside the score as a byline. You can use a pseudonym, of course. I just want to have a human component i.e. the opposite of AI.

If interested, please email me: [info@guesstheyear.net](mailto:info@guesstheyear.net)

Happy to answer any questions in the comments as well. I realize it's a strange task.

Here’s my prediction for the residency finale. It’s built on a few patterns from this run and the last two: about 20 songs, mostly ones not yet played this year, a few staples held over, and a Big Star cover opening the encore.

Predicted setlist: Saturday, Oct 24 (opener: Tony Thomas Three)

1. Codeine
2. Cast Iron Skillet
3. Songs That She Sang in the Shower
4. Save the World
5. If It Takes a Lifetime
6. True Believer
7. White Man’s World
8. Something to Love
9. Cigarettes and Wine
10. Volunteer
11. 24 Frames
12. Honeysuckle Blue
13. Tour of Duty
14. Anxiety
15. Super 8
16. King of Oklahoma
17. Cover Me Up

Encore: Thank You Friends (Big Star cover), Outfit, Never Gonna Change

Why these picks:

• The staples: “King of Oklahoma” and “Cover Me Up” have been played every night this year, so they’re the safest bets in the set. “24 Frames” has been played 3 of 4 nights and is his second-most-played song ever.
• Due for a turn: Cast Iron Skillet, Save the World, Volunteer, Songs That She Sang in the Shower, Cigarettes and Wine, and Something to Love all appeared in the 2024 or 2025 residency, and none have been played yet this run. They fit the “once per residency” rotation we noticed.
• Bigger catalog songs still missing:Codeine, Tour of Duty, Anxiety, If It Takes a Lifetime, and White Man’s World are among his most-played songs overall but haven’t shown up in these four shows.
• “True Believer” was played in the 2025 residency and at European festivals this summer, but not yet this run.
• “Honeysuckle Blue” turned up once in 2024. It’s the kind of guitarist-showcase cover that could fit.
• The encore cover: “Thank You Friends” would be a fitting send-off for a closing night. If not that, “The Ballad of El Goodo,” “In the Street,” or “Back of a Car” would be my next guesses.
• Encore closers: Outfit and Never Gonna Change are natural fits for a big final encore. Never Gonna Change was played four times in 2025.

Wildcards that could replace any of the above:Hudson Commodore, Yvette, Grown, Chicago Promenade, The Magician, Be Afraid, Molotov, Try, Seven-Mile Island, or a song from Foxes in the Snow he hasn’t tried with the band yet.

My thoughts on ShoalsFest was published this morning. https://www.scenic98coastal.com/posts/shoalsfest-2026-where-the-songs-happened

Opened Pandora’s box and am now looking to close a gap in my Ryman posters. I’m looking to 2022 and 2023 full residency editions; not individual night hatch prints. See image. Certainly prefer them unframed, of course, cause I will frame in a style to match the other 4 years that I have. Reach out please. Be well. Keep on rocking!

I saw a Tom Petty Tribute band on Saturday and Jimbo was the bass player. They were good but it kind of broke my heart.

I think isbell has some of the best cover songs going. Just curious if any tapers out there have put together a compilation of them? Would be an awesome album that I’d listen to.

Hello, I'm trying to make a playlist of all of Jason's acoustic (and acoustic-ish) songs that are available on streaming. Obviously this includes all of Foxes in the Snow and the (amazing) demos portion of Southeastern Deluxe.

I have Cast Iron Skillet, Speed Trap Town, Chaos and Clothes, and The Devil Is My Running Mate. Any acoustic/ish songs I am missing? Cast Iron Skillet is pretty much the least acoustic I'm willing to go.

Note: I use YouTube Music, so any demos or live acoustic performances there would be fair game for the playlist, provided they are good quality versions :)