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Writer's pictureCurious Fan

Gregory Alan Isakoff - College Street Music Hall - New Haven, CT 6/22/24

Second Chances


"I'm waiting in the wings while the trees undress

Cupping my ear to hear the wind confess

I'm a ghost in the garden

Scaring the crows

If it weren't for second chances, we'd all be alone"


Very rarely, a musician will come through and connect on a level that surprises you. Someone who not only speaks to you with their music and words but somehow also hears you and knows what you have been going through. It's a two-way relationship - sharing life's deepest secrets. A connection that is both therapeutic and spiritual. For a few hours, the theatre becomes your church. When the show ends and the artist leaves town, that experience sticks with you -forever.


On a stormy Saturday two days into summer, Gregory Alan Isakoff brought his blend of rootsy indie folk to New Haven and bared his musical soul to an adoring crowd. This tour has been a mix of theatres and festivals, and the band very obviously enjoyed College Street Music Hall's intimacy which allowed the audience to hear even the most whispered lyrics.





The set mixed material from his excellent new album 'Appaloosa Bones' with classics like "San Luis", "Big Black Car", and "Amsterdam". Isakov's songs for me hit the sweet spot conceptually - deep roots, old bones, romantic mysticism, the West, grief, longing, and hope are common themes.





Favorites from the new album included "The Fall", "Miles to Go", and "Mistakes".


The encore has the band playing acoustic at the front of the stage singing "One Day" and Silver Bell". The final tune featured opener Mon Rovia trading verses with the band on a raucous version of "All Shades of Blue", which on the album is a gentle ballad but live that made us feel like being in a pub with Glen Hansard, where the audience is every bit a part of the show. The smiles are wide, and hands are held tight.





A magical evening that I'm so grateful for.


Concert setlist







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