A Transcendent Reunion with the Drive-By Truckers and Jason Isbell

My Thoughts on the Decoration Day Performance at Shoalsfest

There are some shows that are more than just a typical concert; they function more as religious or healing experiences. There are some shows that you walk out of and think, “Did I really just experience this?” because it felt so ethereal it could have been a dream. That is how I felt on Saturday, October 3rd, after seeing the Drive-By Truckers and Jason Isbell play “Decoration Day” in its entirety at Shoalsfest in McFarland Park.

Most of you know I am a diehard Jason Isbell and DBT fan. I have seen them both several times, but never together. This is because I am 25 years old, so when Jason was touring Decoration Day with the Truckers, I was a toddler… I also only discovered this music 5 years ago. But ever since I became a fan of Jason and DBT, I would often fantasize about seeing them play together. I remember around the time I started following them, Jason joined DBT for a couple of songs at Shoalsfest 2021. Although I had just become a fan and I was in Florida getting my undergrad, I vividly remember seeing the videos on my feed and crying because it was beautiful, but I knew I was probably never going to see Jason play with the Truckers.

Fast forward to now. This Shoalsfest marks the first time in nearly twenty years that Isbell played a full set with the Truckers, and it was the first time Decoration Day would be played in its entirety. I was eagerly counting down the days to this performance like a kid does for Christmas. Once the day had come and I was in line with all my friends, it didn’t quite sink in that it was actually happening. It felt like a haze. Once the gates opened and I bolted to secure my spot on the rail, it did start to feel a little more real, but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to experience.

This was something I had sky-high expectations for. I had spent weeks picturing what it would be like when they walked on stage. Then, at around six pm, the stage lights started to change and “The Mighty Midshipman” by Centro-matic started blaring through the speakers. That is one of my favorite songs, and I think it was the perfect way to set the tone for the night. Centro-matic was a very influential band for DBT in that era, and I’m sure everyone who was around to see both bands during that time (since they often toured together) felt immense nostalgia.

The band gets their instruments ready, the crowd is erupting in woos, “Mighty Midshipman” starts to fade, Patterson Hood grabs the mic, starts singing “By the time you were born there were four other siblings…” and the entire park starts singing every single word with him. As soon as the instrumentals accompanied Hood’s vocals, euphoria took over me and my arms burst into chill bumps. It was surreal to look over and see Isbell with them. It took several songs for it to finally feel real. I decided to make a shirt that said “I heart crying” because I thought it was fitting, and boy, was it. One song in, tears were already leaking from my eyes, and I had to take a deep breath.

This set was special in many ways, and I am going to try my best to explain how, although it has taken me days to form the words.

First off, Decoration Day is a perfect record, and it is a record that many people have lived in. It holds twenty-three years of memories within the band and the fans. It dawned on me that everyone there, including the band, was having their own deeply emotional reaction to this, and it was hitting everyone in different ways.

For the band, I am sure this must have been nostalgic but also healing. They all have evolved since the last time they shared the stage, been through a lot of ups and downs, and I wonder if they ever pictured all being together, singing every one of these songs to a massive crowd in their hometown, surrounded by loved ones and their diehard fans.

Drive-By Truckers have one of the most passionate and dedicated fanbases I have seen. They are not the type to see the band once and go, “That was good.” Most of us have seen them in the double and triple digits. Many attendees were at the 40 Watt in the early 2000s while the band rocked around the stage with their curly hair in their faces and passed a bottle of Jack Daniel’s in the crowd. They saw a baby-faced Isbell sing “Outfit” for the first time, they were there when he left, and they still show up now. With decades of memories and so much life tied to the band and those shows, I can’t even begin to imagine all the feels those fans were experiencing. To have experienced this evolution, to see them all on stage smiling and sounding fantastic.

Then you also had the wave of fans who joined later. There were also lots of fans my age and younger in the crowd. Although we all came to the music at different times, here we were sharing this moment, belting every word. With an album that has soundtracked so much life for so many people, of course every single line of every track played was belted out by the audience. It was cathartic to listen to and participate in. In a world where there is so much negativity and distraction, to have thousands of people all surrounded with the one goal of hearing this record live was a recharge to the soul.

All we knew about this set was that all of Decoration Day would be played, and there were some surprises with that. They did not play the album in order; they mixed it up a bit. They started with “The Deeper In” and ended the record with “Loaded Gun in the Closet,” but a couple of songs in the tracklist were swapped in the setlist order.

A total shock to the entire crowd was after they finished “Hell No, I Ain’t Happy,” they burst into “Uncle Frank,” and then Jason followed that up with “TVA.” A fitting TVA-themed double feature as an homage to the Shoals area. I heard a friend say that was the best “Uncle Frank” they had ever heard, and another friend followed up and said, “That was the best any of those songs have ever sounded,” and I would have to agree. I have seen Isbell over twenty times and never got “TVA.” I would always blast the live version while driving in the Shoals, so finally hearing it live with the Truckers accompanying him could not have been more perfect.

I think the best word to describe this set was healing. It healed my soul, but I think it healed the band as well. This feeling was really cemented when they finished Decoration Day and ended the set with “World of Hurt,” one of the band’s most emotional songs. This song holds a deep meaning for so many Heathens. It’s a song that I love so much I only listen to it occasionally so I can really savor it and because it is so emotional. For the entire song, I was on the rail, holding on to my friend Anna’s hand. She was holding on to our friend Courtney’s hand, and we stayed like that for the entire 9 minutes.

You can’t have the Drive-By Truckers without the community of Heathens. For me, the music goes with the people. They’re almost as important as the songs. When I first discovered this music, I was 20 years old. I was in my junior year of college. I was extremely homesick, I did not fit in at all, and I felt like I had to mask my autism and be someone I was not. During this time, DBT and Isbell were my anchor. I also was the only person I knew who liked that music, especially in my age group. This was a solo experience for years until I got connected in the DBT Facebook group and met some of the most amazing people who are like family to me now.

This weekend, I had a revelation. When Isbell played “Last of My Kind,” I remember thinking it was my song because of the line “I tried to go to college, but I didn’t belong / Everything I said was either funny or wrong.” I truly felt like the last of my kind. But this weekend made me realize I am not. I have found my tribe, I have found the music that speaks to me, and I was able to experience one of my musical dreams by seeing Isbell with the Truckers.

After the set finished, my first thought was, “That was the best thing I have experienced.” I am now a changed person. This is a show I will carry on with me for the rest of my life. To quote Patterson Hood, “It’s Great to Be Alive.”