Season 39 of Austin City Limits continued Saturday night with performances by two americana superstars. Alt-country singer-songwriter Jason Isbell took the stage for a 6-song set first, followed by Neko Case for a 7-song set of her own.
Isbell and his band, the 400 Unit, kicked things off for the night with a bevy of songs from his 2013 LP, Southeastern. The dynamic and powerful set was marked by raw emotion and passion, with themes of love, loss, and redemption throughout. "Flying Over Water" led the set as one of the heavier rocking tunes, but slower numbers "Live Oak" and "Elephant" were equally at home onstage. "Alabama Pines," the lead track on 2011's Here We Rest, picked things back up before Jason and the 400 Unit closed things out with the rollicking "Super 8."
Isbell sat down for an interview as well, in which he talks about songwriting, the differences between playing in studio and playing live, and how he wants to avoid the classification of "blue-eyed soul." Watch it below.
Jason Isbell Austin City Limits interview:
Jason Isbell Austin City Limits setlist:
Flying Over Water
Cover Me Up
Live Oak
Elephant
Alabama Pines
Super 8
Jason Isbell band credits:
Amanda Shires - fiddle, vocals
Jimbo Hart - bass, vocals
Derry deBorja - keyboards, accordion, vocals
Chad Gamble - drums, vocals
Sadler “Sad Man” Vaden - guitar, vocals
Neko Case and her band came out for the second half of the episode, opening things up with the bittersweet "Night Still Comes" from her most recent album, The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You. Case performed on Austin City Limits more than 10 years ago and seemed excited to return, even complimenting the show on their new space. The rest of the set spanned her whole solo career, with tunes from several albums. Case belted out "Red Tide" from her previous record, Middle Cyclone, before returning to the subdued and wistful "Calling Cards." She picked up her tenor guitar for "Hold On, Hold On," and followed it with "I Wish I Was The Moon" from her 2002 Blacklisted. Case closed out her set with two more from The Worse Things Get... to the roar of the crowd. Watch the full episode above and check out her full interview and set details below.
Neko Case Austin City Limits interview:
Neko Case Austin City Limits setlist:
Night Still Comes
Red Tide
Calling Cards
Hold On, Hold On
I Wish I Was the Moon
Ragtime
Man
Neko Case band credits:
Kelly Hogan - vocals, percussion
Jon Rauhouse - pedal steel, guitar, banjo, 12 string, trombone
Tom V. Ray - bass
Eric Bachmann - guitar, keyboards, vocals
Daniel Hunt - drums, vocals
Justin Carroll - keyboards
