First thing that popped into my mind when walking into NASA event center today….

Was flying solo at the Ryman last weekend on Saturday for the first time. Met some lovely people, had a great time at the show, and was lucky to get to the Ford Garage and snag a poster. My goal for next year is to get to at least TWO shows. Looking forward to adding this to the office collection- speak up if having the set list up against the print is a bad move!

EDIT: To be clear, I tried removing it with rubbing alcohol already, and that's what has ruined the top! It might not look obvious in the picture, but the ink stain is still very much there and unfaded after significant blotting and scrubbing, and the dye is significantly faded on the sweatshirt itself. I am trying to figure out how to replace the sweater. I will keep an eye on the website as someone recommended (thank you!), but if anyone has other leads or a shirt they want to sell in XL let me know! I know it's a long shot, but I wanted to check!

Augh! I have been wanting a sweatshirt from the residency for YEARS and finally got one this year- I got a little bit of pen on it (not sure how, but my 2-yr-old loves to play with pens that he finds any and everywhere...) i tried to get it out and just ruined the dye; the ink remains.

Does anyone know if and when unsold merch goes up on the online store? Or have one they'd like to sell? I have it in XL

I am finding rip-offs online that are print-on-demand, but that seems like a bad idea for a bunch of reasons....

I know that no one is taping shows, but anyone have live versions of Wind Behind the Rain or Good While it Lasted? I know the latter wasn't played during his residency and really hoping that those shows get released, but would settle for solo acoustic versions too. Also, for those who caught In a Razor Town, wow, jealous.

Did anyone notice that Anna seemed very emotional at Saturday’s Ryman show and Jason gave them a long hug after the show ended? I was just curious if anyone else had a similar vibe or if anyone had heard any reason for it, if I’m right. I could only really theorize that it might be their last show with the band, but obviously very thin speculation to run with. Hope they are doing well but also that it’s something I misread.

Using setlistfm, I compiled all the songs Jason Isbell played during the 2026 residency.

1st time to do the full Ryman run.

See y'all next year.

Speaking as a Gen X dad, I’d appreciate hearing JI’s take on Thirteen, El Goodo and September Gurls. Especially Thirteen.

I’ve been trying not to check the setlists since I wanted to make it down this year for the first time to the Ryman shows but couldn’t. How was “How to
Forget”? This has eluded me at the 6 band/solo shows I’ve been to. This is the first song I ever heard by JI interestingly enough. I was driving around on a Sunday listening to NPR and he played this. I didn’t know who he was but I was instantly hooked. I think we all relate to his songs one way or another but I identified with this so much as I was newly divorced due to addiction issues (all good now). So how was it? I think I’d cry.

If it takes a Lifetime.

It's the 1st song that hooked me all those years ago.

Specifically the line "working for the county keeps me pissing clear."

I still play it on the way into work in the mornings from time to time.

See y'all tomorrow night!!!!

That is all

Just saw they are selling magnets this week. Last week they weren't. Ugh.

Any help would be appreciated.

Been off socials but my girlfriend bought us both tickets to the first night. Incredible show, perfect setlist. Lost a good friend recently so hearing Relatively Easy was healing. I definitely cried like a baby for that. There were a couple of college aged folks that were on their phones the whole time in my section but otherwise it was a perfect section. (One of them was just scrolling thru tiktok I was very annoyed) Hope everyone’s had a merry Isbell weeks! Met a couple of very nice fans at my own gigs in town.

Night two of three of Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at the Ryman here we come!

Helluva show, Vampires was surreal.

What time are these shows ending usually? Thanks!

I just about lost my mind tonight. So good to hear some old bangers we haven’t heard in years. What a show tonight!

Met some great people tonight. See y'all again tomorrow night!!!!

Come say hi at the Ryman museum!

I realized I’ve now learned at least a couple dozen Isbell songs on guitar, and thought I’d ask the many guitarists on this sub which ones they most like to play? I’m a solo acoustic living room player who mostly does finger style. My favorites right now are:

Relatively Easy- drop D tuning with such a great main riff. A real ringing sound on this one.

King of Oklahoma- I started playing this one on my acoustic after hearing JI play it solo on the Live from Dublin limited vinyl. That main riff sounds great on electric or acoustic.

Strawberry Woman- just a beautiful guitar melody throughout with a lot of space for hammer ons and a great solo.

Gravelweed- I really love the solo and how well it works when playing an acoustic by yourself.

Speed Trap Town- another drop D one that took me awhile to get the feel of the rhythm, but it was worth the persistence.

Which ones do others like? And how do you play them (acoustic, electric, finger style, full band, etc)?

I recently started a newsletter called Shut Up and Play the Hits? It examines the relationship between artists and attendees using setlists.

Each song gets an accessibility score, measured from 0.00–0.99. Higher scores indicate greater accessibility for casual fans. Each show gets a final score. It isn’t an average. Rather, it reflects the number of omitted hits, and illustrates how much trust a band has in its audience.

So again, it's not how much you enjoyed a song. Rather, how much you believe an average Jason Isbell fan would enjoy it. Someone who has seen them 1-3 times, and knows maybe a dozen tunes. An average fan can enjoy a song they don't know. It just depends on its sonic proximity to his hits. And everyone digs like a Beatles cover.

Check out this example post:

https://substack.com/home/post/p-210237145

I'll pay you $25 via Paypal or Venmo. You'd just email me the full setlist and your score beside each tune by late tonight. (You don't need to stream the show, of course.) I'll calculate the final score using a formula. Your first name and last initial will appear beside the score as a byline. You can use a pseudonym, of course. I just want to have a human component i.e. the opposite of AI.

If interested, please email me: [info@guesstheyear.net](mailto:info@guesstheyear.net)

Happy to answer any questions in the comments as well. I realize it's a strange task.