tessabrancato Jason Isbell took the stage at The Pinnacle in Nashville on March 20, 2025, for the first night of a highly anticipated solo series. Just a man, a guitar, and a lifetime’s worth of stories.
Jason Isbell
Coming off the release of his new album, Foxes In The Snow, Isbell turned the night into something raw and intimate. Before he even played a note, the tone was set: audience members were asked to put their phones away. A rare move in a tech-obsessed world. It was evident when he walked out, took his seat in the lone chair on stage, and strummed the first chords, he was going to pull you in.
And pull he did. With nothing but his voice, guitar, and the weight of his words, Isbell held the room captive. For longtime fan, Jennifer Dix, an artist and student, the show was an entirely new experience. “I’ve been attending Isbell’s Ryman residency shows for years, but this solo performance was on a whole other level,” she shared. “It was so raw and stripped down. I love the 400 Unit, but seeing him this exposed made the music hit differently.”
When asked what drew her to Isbell’s performances, Dix didn’t hesitate: “The masterful storytelling in his lyrics, the raw emotion he weaves into the notes, and his clever yet simple wordplay. And that voice…he conveys so much intensity in the way he sings.”
The night was filled with unforgettable moments, but for Dix, “Middle of the Morning” was a transcendent highlight. “That song is amazing on the album, but in person? It absolutely broke me,” she said. “There’s something about the high notes he hits and the melancholy lyrics. It gets me every time. I had tears streaming down my face, and I wasn’t the only one. If you’ve never cried alongside thousands of strangers sharing a common musical experience, you should. It’s cathartic.”
What makes an Isbell show feel so personal, beyond the music, is his gift for storytelling. Between songs, he offered glimpses into his life with his signature blend of humor and vulnerability. After delivering the heavy, emotional “White Beretta”, he lightened the mood with a tale about owning an actual white Beretta car. He recalled having to drive from Muscle Shoals to Memphis with the heat on full blast in the middle of summer to keep the motor from overheating. “It was the perfect comic relief after such a weighty song,” Dix noted. “He made the crowd laugh several times with little anecdotes like that. He’s such an impactful and vivid storyteller, both in his lyrics and his conversation.”
For those considering seeing Isbell live for the first time, Dix had a simple message: “Run, do not walk. There’s zero chance you’ll regret attending an Isbell show. Bring tissues if you’re a crier like me, but whether you’re a lifelong fan or hearing him for the first time, you’ll walk away changed.”
With Foxes In The Snow ushering in this new chapter for Isbell, his solo performance remind us why his fans fell in love with him in the first place. No elaborate production or flashy effects. Just one man, his guitar, and the power of a perfectly crafted song.
Photos by Julia Dunagan Photography. All images © 2025 Copyright Julia Dunagan Photography. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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