On a perfectly warm San Diego September night, the slow ballads of Gregory Alan Isakov echoed throughout San Diego State University, carrying soothing instrumentals and dreamy vocals through the air.
Isakov’s concert on Sept. 13 at Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheater brought fans of all generations to the venue, stretching from children attending with their families to fans with graying hair.
Many of the concert-goers were couples, both young and old, looking to have an extra special date night with a side of live music.
Isakov, a Grammy-nominated folk musician born in South Africa and raised in Philadelphia, has been making music and touring since he was 16, but the 45-year-old artist has been playing instruments his whole life.
Isakov has released six albums spanning from 2005 to 2023, and has collaborated with other renowned artists in the genre, such as Noah Kahan and The Lumineers.
The majority of his tracks feature acoustic guitar, piano and banjo, but his live performance incorporated additional instruments such as violin, double bass, pedal steel guitar and harmonica. The additional instruments helped achieve that quintessential “folksy” sound and showcased a version of the songs that can’t be found on streaming apps.
Isakov, donning his signature fedora hat look, took to the stage with a single white spotlight shining down on him and opened the evening with “She Always Takes It Black.”
The isolated sound of a single acoustic guitar reverberated around the venue, until the rest of the band joined in with their instruments to complete the ensemble’s rich, unique sound.
“This is an emotional show for us because this is our last show for a little while,” Isakov said to the audience.
“We’re just gonna party in a sad way–a sad song kinda way,” he continued.
While performing songs like “Amsterdam” and “Miles to Go,” Isakov turned to other members of his band with his guitar, playing face-to-face with them and creating moments of what live music is all about: connection.
Among the crowd were San Diego locals Nai Hao and Nicole Dalida, who said they have been fans of Isakov since 2022.
“If I want to unwind after a long day, I just put on one of his vinyls,” Dalida said.
Dalida said that although she hadn’t taken the time to look at the setlist before the show, she knew that no matter which songs he played, she would have a good time.
“I just feel like we probably wouldn’t get the opportunity to (see him) again because I didn’t anticipate him coming to San Diego either,” said Hao. “So that’s why we’re here.”
Isakov then took a moment to introduce his band members, Steve Varney (banjo, guitar and piano), Max Barcelow (drums), Jeb Bows (violin), John Paul Grigsby (bass) and Danny Black (guitar, keys and steel pedal guitar), who all waved cheerfully at the audience.
“We’ve all been playing since we were little kids, most of us,” Isakov said.
The artist went on to perform songs such as “The Fall,” “Before the Sun,” “Light Year” and “This Empty Northern Hemisphere.”
Suddenly, all the stage lights went dark except for the one behind Isakov, which emanated strings of light that mirrored the strings of a guitar. The effect created a silhouette of Isakov and resulted in a stunning and peaceful visual.
As Isakov played the intricate yet relaxing string picking pattern from “Master & a Hound” on his guitar, the crowd fell silent, all in awe of the calming energy he brought to the stage.
Many in the audience perked up for Isakov’s live rendition of “Second Chances,” a song about forgiveness and companionship and “Sweet Heat Lightning,” one of his most known tracks from his 2023 album.
Highschool sweethearts Jenna Kyle and Dallas Leves said they were attending the concert as a happy ending to their day-long date around San Diego, as both of them are huge fans of Isakov.
“I really like the folksy aspect of (his music),” said Kyle, who graduated from SDSU in May. “I feel like some of the songs are almost–not nonsensical–but the lyrics don’t necessarily flow in a story-telling way that makes sense to a lot of audiences and I really like that, being able to interpret it really any way you want to.”
“His voice is very unique,” said Leves. “I don’t think there’s really any voice like it.”
The couple shared that their jobs keep them busy, but they wanted to attend the concert to do something special for themselves in honor of their upcoming 6-year anniversary.
Kyle shared that “Second Chances” is her favorite song from Isakov because she felt a deep connection to the heartfelt lyrics, especially the line, “If it weren’t for second chances, we’d all be alone.”
After what seemed to be the closing song and nearly 2 minutes of uninterrupted applause, Isakov came back out for an encore. Fans from all rows came rushing down to the front of the stage as he started playing “Big Black Car,” followed by “Dark, Dark, Dark” and “The Stable Song.”
The band all huddled close together around the microphone for the last few songs of the night. Their performance and energy on stage showcased a strong camaraderie and friendship that brought high levels of emotion and depth to the show. Audiences could feel the musical energy that was coursing through each of them, uniting their souls for that brief moment on stage together.
After a second standing ovation following the encore, concert-goers quickly started to file out of the venue in hopes of beating the traffic out of the parking lots.
With San Diego being the second-to-last city on the American portion of his international tour, Isakov and his band will soon be heading off to Europe to continue bringing their folk music to new audiences.
