The constant onslaught of this oppressive summer heat has me ready to welcome the fall. As an inhabitant of the north I've always felt more at ease during the cooler times of the year, especially the autumn months. Summer’s grip is slowly releasing and the autumn harvest will soon commence. While it wasn't as hot as it could've been on Wednesday night I've grown weary of the relentless heat and humidity lately. However, the opportunity to see one of my favorite artists was enough to spur me on and rally through some more of it and get out onto the field at Surly Brewing.

Ocie Elliot played a sun soaked set for the amassing crowd as they opened up the night for Gregory Alan Isakov. The Canadian folk duo played their delicate and airy songs as the couple traded off vocal duties back and forth and harmonized over an acoustic guitar. All while being backed by an electric bass and a small digital mellotron. Throw in some harmonica and it was a recipe suitable for warming up a Gregory Alan Isakov audience. A number of Ocie Elliot shirts peppered the crowd and more than likely they sold a few more after their set time had ceased.

Catching Gregory Alan Isakov in an outdoor setting just feels right. It's been a few years since I last experienced that when he opened for Patti Smith right here at Surly Brewing Festival Field. Even though he came out as a three piece back in 2021 with a brief support set, it was such a memorable show and I'm glad to have been able to soak it in during those fleeting summer nights.

Listening to folk and Americana music outdoors just feels right. It goes up a notch when the songwriter is also a farmer that appears to have an affinity for the birds which is a reoccurring theme in words and in imagery. The concert was a sight to behold and sounds to satisfy the soul.

The Starling Farms owner plucked and strummed his guitar as the sound waves rippled through the damp August heat. Overhead a flock of low flying geese made a brief appearance across the darkening sky. When the words “a bird's eye view” were sung out during “San Luis” I glanced up and saw a shimmering giant bird soaring overhead. Granted it was made of metal but it was also filled with passengers surly gazing down at the spectacle below. As the sun began to fall further towards the horizon the silhouettes of geese continued to periodically glide by in V shaped groups adding to the memorable experience.

Whenever I catch one of Isakov’s shows in the Twin Cities there is always a roar from the crowd that gives me the chills. That frisson moment occurs during the song “Caves” as the lyrics “now I think I like birds, see them fly from St. Paul“ are belted out. With the Minneapolis and St. Paul border line just a few paces from the back of the stage to the east, my eyes peered in the direction of my home in St Paul and saw another metal bird approaching. Not quite as poetic timing as a bird made of flesh and feather would be but fitting none the less so this steel one would have to suffice.

Tonight Isakov was flanked by 5 other incredible musicians that have developed a mastery of their sonic craft and harnessed the voices of their instruments to coalesce into a lush soundscape that creates enough depth to easily get lost in. The introductory pieces they have written for some of these songs breathes new life into them and sets a tone that differs from the repeated playbacks experienced from the recorded albums. It's always a joy for me to hear these varied renditions and most likely a necessity for these creative musicians to tap into that artistic side once again after so many run throughs rehearsing and performing the same version years on end out on the road.

As they began to play another one of these beautifully constructed intros I became a bit lost in a different way as I hadn't heard this one before. As I listened intently and pondered what this could be leading up to. There was a slight familiarity in the notes as they were strung out across the open air. They lingered longer than expected and had a subtle somber vibe. As Isakov began to sing the lyrics at a slow and steady pace it began to click that this was “Big Black Car” and its motor was slowly revving up but never got up to speed like the original. This arrangement left me intrigued and with a sense of longing. A song that I normally considered musically to be one of his more upbeat songs suddenly had a melancholic tone which took a detour that was right up my alley.

Another reoccurring highlight at a Gregory Alan Isakov concert is the encore. The band members gather all together around one microphone to sing and play their instruments in stripped down renditions from those that appear on the albums. Always such a playful and fun moment to witness as we are lifted up out of the often dark yet beautiful songs that dominated the evening while the members smile and laugh as they show off their soloing skills.

For someone that likes to make adventures out of traveling for music, it's moments like this that motivates me to facilitate a plan and get out to catch him outdoors more often and seek out performances in grander surroundings such as in his home state of Colorado. Under the open sky of the great outdoors at spectacular locations such as at Dillon Amphitheater or Red Rocks. Come hell or high water or even the blistering heat from the summer sun, I’ll have to buckle down once again and let it soak in so that I may bask in its glory at its fullest extent.