Devoting
Destiny
Appaloosa Bones Tour
Gregory Alan Isakov
August ended on a high note as the indie-folk artist Gregory Alan Isakov brought his Appaloosa Bones Tour to Park City, Utah. This tour is a showcase of his 7th album which is also called Appaloosa Bones. This venue was the perfect choice as it’s up in the mountains surrounded by nature, a fitting imagery to Gregory’s music. Joining him on this run of tour was Josiah and the Bonnevilles. As the sun began to set behind the mountain, the crowd finding their seats everyone was excited for what the night would hold.
Opening the show was Josiah and the Bonnevilles. Unfortunately due to some minor car crashes in the canyon on the drive up which caused some major traffic delays I missed the first three songs and was unable to snag any photographs of him. However, I made it to my seat as he played his final few songs and was blown away by how good he was live. His set had minimal production but he was still able to capture the audience's attention better than most openers and I was very impressed with his performance. At the very end of his set, he told the crowd that he would be by the merch tables for anyone who wanted a picture or signed poster, eager fans quickly went over to meet him.
Finally, it was the time everyone had eagerly awaited. With fans still filing in through the gates because of how bad the traffic was, they were rushing to get in before his set started. Gregory and his band made their way to the stage, the crowd cheered loudly as the first notes of a prelude before the start of “Monsters” rang through the speakers. The crowd started to quiet down as they soaked in every second of the show.
Commonly, Gregory and his band will perform beautiful instrumental additions to the start of each song. This not only adds a special little surprise to the performance but it also showcases the pure skill that each band member has, my favorite part is watching them all perform together as you can see how much they love what they do and how perfectly they all fit together like puzzle pieces. The third song of the night was the widely popular “Amsterdam.” The crowd was completely locked in to the performance singing along to every word while swaying with the music.
Normally, there is a general rule where photographers get the first three songs in the photo pit and then they go back to their seats and watch the rest of the show. For this performance, however, for this show photographers got the last three or so songs and the encore. I loved this approach because I felt that I got to take in the atmosphere as a whole before taking photos. It was cute to see families and couples enjoy the music against the backdrop of the setting sun and mountains. One thing goes without saying and that is Gregory’s live performance. His voice is so melodic and powerful. It feels as though you are listening to his recorded music on super loud speakers with how similar they sound. The crispness of his vocals leaves nothing to be desired.
One of my favorites is “Big Black Car” and “The Fall”. He joked with the crowd that he may need help with the words for “Big Black Car” before singing it flawlessly. In the song “The Fall” there is a part that is spoken and his deep voice rings through the speaker hitting concertgoers to their core. Something I noticed as I watched the show was the lack of phones, in an age of digital dominance it was refreshing to see everyone completely focused on the show.
Without highlighting Gregory's fellow band members, it wouldn’t be a proper review. Supporting him were his old friends that he said he had been playing with since childhood. Including Danny Black on guitar, John Grigsby on stand-up bass, Jeb Bows on Violin, Max Barcelow on drums, and Steve Varney on Piano. As I mentioned before, they have played together in some form since they were young so they meshed together well and their performance flowed smoothly the entire night.
As the evening came to a close Gregory and his band performed a beautiful cover of the song “Liars”. After the song, Gregory and his band left the stage as the crowd cheered loudly indicating that they were hopeful for an encore. A singular microphone was brought on stage as the band came back out and gathered around it. For the encore songs the band performed each song is a beautiful stripped-down way. They played the ever-popular song “Dark, Dark, Dark” and another fan favorite “The Stable Song.” The band gathered together for one final bow before exiting the stage. The Appaloosa Bones tour will be a cherished memory for all those who could attend. With pure talent and a love of music emanating from the stage to the crowd, it was an experience to remember.