REVIEW: GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV @ ROADRUNNER 10/21
By Carson Paradis
Gregory Alan Isakov gave his audience repeated shivers last Saturday night. He opened his set with crisp, acoustic tones as he looked longingly into the crowd. His face was illuminated by blue and purple hues as he began to sing “Before the Sun”, setting off the night in a colorful ambience.
This was my first time seeing Gregory Alan Isakov live, and I can’t even express how impressed I was with his performance. His music tends to be slower with acoustic guitar and harmonizing voices, so I was prepared for a concert that would lull me into a deep, but sweet, sleep. However, I can proudly say I was wide awake.
When I entered the Roadrunner through the back entrance, I was not only greeted with a ticket to review, but with a photo pass as well. I left my camera at home, so I took the opportunity to go and watch the crowd. In the front row alongside the photographers, I turned to a sea of faces in awe and amazement as they gazed above my head. I watched everyone become lost in what I can only describe as a feeling of bliss, attributed to Isakov and his band’s smooth vocal harmonizations and deep musical sound. The drummer stood out in particular with his resonating and soulful beat that drove the entire band.
The feeling of his music, combined with the impressive visuals of Colorado mountains and rivers, formed the ambiance at the Roadrunner. It seemed to one up itself after every song. As his set went on, I couldn’t help but to get lost in the imagery that complimented his music, adapting visuals and spot lights. The lighting changes cannot go unmentioned. In addition to blues and purples, stark contrasts of green would highlight the band members. His music felt like slow, stretching waves of emotion that would build up and crash in beautiful musical resolutions. When they did, colors flashed before the audience, leaving the silhouettes of Isakov and his band in a mysterious haze that resolved with cool colors and harmonizing guitar and banjo duets.
As the ambiance shifted with soft singing and gentle strumming, a red spot light shined down on the violinist playing a solo that followed one of Isakov’s biggest hits, “San Luis”. Every instrument in his band played a solo that night — guitar, banjo, keyboard, violin, stand up bass, drums — each receiving an applause that shook the venue. Even when the band was transitioning between songs, at least one musician continued to play so the audience never had to sit in silence.
Isakov repeatedly expressed his appreciation for his audience. He humbly expressed his gratitude to be up on that stage performing his music for all to hear. He told the audience that he knows how difficult it is to get to his show, with Boston traffic, need for parking, and simply leaving the house. Ending his appreciation by saying how he knows, “how hard it is to take care of older people and younger people. Thank you all so much for being here.”
In this day and age’s concert era, an encore is expected, and it was one of the most magical moments of the night. Everyone in the band gathered around the lead microphone like it was a warm campfire on a starry night, creating a very intimate moment between Isakov and the audience. They played “One Day”, all leaning in to sing into the same microphone. Taking turns, the musicians leaned in and solo jammed. Everyone got a roaring applause, especially the stand up bassist who took the stage being his first solo of the night. The encore came to a conclusion when the Milk Carton Kids — the opening band — came out and gathered around the campfire. Isakov’s song “Silver Bell” was sung with smiles and laughter as both bands swayed in harmony.
What was unexpected, however, was the double encore that followed. Isakov took the stage again with his banjo player and performed “All Shades Of Blue”, basked in aqua-blue light. This end to the concert left me with shivers through my entire body — nothing new as everyone around me, including myself, admitted to this feeling during each song. I would definitely go back to another Gregory Alan Isakov concert just to feel the deep waves of emotion that he and his entire band infused into their performance one more time.