Gregory Alan Isakov brings “Appaloosa Bones Tour” to Salt Lake City for two joyous nights

Gregory Alan Isakov brought his Appaloosa Bones Tour for a sold out two night event showcasing his newest album Appaloosa Bones which was released on August 18th. Performing at the Eccles Theater in downtown Salt Lake, it was the perfect venue for concert goers to sit back, and listen to all of the artistic intricacies of Isakov’s album.

Starting off the night was Shovels & Rope, a folk duo from South Carolina. While their set up was small they brought a lot to the stage. Both in personality and musical skill. Throughout their set they provided the audience with great harmonies, a fun harmonica solo and overall good musicianship. They sang their song “C’mon Utah” and the crowd erupted in cheers everytime the state was mentioned. One of my favorite songs of the night was “When the Devil is All Around.” They mentioned a few times some of their previous visits to Utah and I hope they come again as they were perfect openers for the evening and created a great energy for the venue.

One of the harder aspects of performing in a theater as opposed to a concert venue is that the crowd is usually seated which makes them quieter. Therefore, it can be harder to tell how the crowd is reacting to the performance happening on stage. This crowd left nothing to the imagination as they enthusiastically cheered to every song, and would yell out “Utah loves you” any chance they got. I really appreciated how interactive the crowd was, they really showed how much they loved Gregory’s music.

I have been listening to Isakov’s music for quite a while now but haven’t been able to see a show. I went in with high expectations because I have heard so many good things and those expectations were exceeded. Normally with soulful folk music there isn’t a lot of movement on stage, which can sometimes make the set seem long. This was not the case for Gregory and his band. Violinist Jeb Bows played the violin with so much energy and emotion, he would occasionally jump up and down as he played and engaged in what appeared to be a fun duel with upright bassists John Paul Grigsby. Each member of the band would occasionally move around to play a different instrument which was so fun to watch as they played each instrument with equal talent.

Gregory would occasionally pause between songs to talk about how grateful they were to be here, how much they loved performing in Utah, and tell stories about his bandmates with whom he’d known for many years. Gregory gives off a very down to earth stage presence, the stage was very simple with an abstract background that flowed nicely with the music. He opened with the song “Before the Sun” which was a single off his new album. Pulling from his new work and deeper cuts he had a perfectly curated setlist for old and new fans alike. The encore was my favorite as he and his band gathered around one mic to sing the final two songs.

Gregory Alan Isakov is on the road for a couple more months, while a lot of his shows have sold out there are still a handful that haven’t. With shows throughout the Southeast and East Coast this tour is one you won’t want to miss out on. Bringing an artistic depth to his music and live performance this is a show for music lovers everywhere.