Jason Isbell – May 4th – Red Rocks Amphitheater

Posted on by Jim Mimna
Estimated read time 2 min read
Photos by Jim Mimna

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit have become an institution at the greatest venue on earth, even requiring two nights this year at Red Rocks to satisfy the ticket demand (yes, I know there were tickets on StubHub for $6 but I blame on that threatening weather and newbie fans with weak constitutions). This year’s Wednesday night show was a spectacle from start to finish with hail that blended into rain before yielding to a double rainbow and finally perfect weather during the show. It was meant to be!  

The show opened with “Stockholm” and was a hit parade after that with fan favorites like “Flying Over Water,” “24 Frames,” and “Traveling Alone.”  This is a family band, make no mistake, Isbell played his daughter Mercy’s request, “Oh Well” by Fleetwood Mac (Listen Here!), while she danced on stage with her mom and dad. He joked how most people – when asked for a request – pick one of his songs, but not his sweet little girl, she goes for the covers! 

The show took a decidedly more pointed turn when he played “White Man’s World,” a song that struck a chord in the shadow of today’s America.  He followed that with “Elephant,” which, for me, brings all the feels every time, and you could hear a pin drop in the amphitheater. After dropping “Last of My Kind,” Isbell finished the set with a mix of old Drive-By Truckers‘ songs and a couple of his own. To neatly tie a bow on a great show they started the encore with a few important words from Amanda Shires on the fate of safe and legal abortions given the recent bombshell from the Supreme Court, and then they played her song “The Problem,” it was beautiful.  

Isbell is the Neil Young of my generation, and I am so thankful. 

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – Red Rocks – May 4th 2022
Setlist: Stockholm, Flying Over Water, Overseas, Something More Than Free, 24 Frames, Different Days,  Oh Well (Fleetwood Mac), Traveling Alone, What’ve I Done to Help, Hope the High Road, White Man’s World, Elephant, Last of My Kind, Outfit (Drive‐By Truckers), Only Children, Never Gonna Change (Drive‐By Truckers), Cover Me Up

Encore: The Problem (Amanda Shires), Honeysuckle Blue (Drivin’ n’ Cryin’), Something to Love

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Jim Mimna http://jmimna.com/

Capturing life in various forms is what I do. I consider myself an archivist by nature. It is not a career choice that I consciously made, but it is something that has called me. I strive to freeze a moment in time with every frame, a moment that can retell its story with each viewing, forever. I also have a deep passion for music and have been photographing and recording live music for years. Capturing the energy and magic of a live performance in a photograph is one of my passions. In addition, I enjoy photographing in a wide variety of settings, from wildlife scenes to family portraits and everything in between. I am a lover of the earthscapes that we see all around us every day, both natural and manmade, and aim to make unique images that do justice to their beauty. Where others see darkness, I see streaks of light through long exposures.

I shoot a very wide variety of subject matter including individual/family portraits, event coverage, landscapes, live concert/performance, HDR, product and commercial photography, architectural, weddings, food, and editorial photo journalism. With artistic expression, I aspire to create visual art that speaks volumes.

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