Show Review

I need my vision prescription updated, and maybe a driver’s education refresher. I arrived at both conclusions en route to Dahlonega, Georgia; site of this country’s first Gold Rush and home to Buster’s, an apple pie American neighborhood bar. For the first time in some time I passed on the local music menu in Athens and opted instead for a road trip. Just under a hundred miles door-to-door, the trip should have been a breeze, but my eyes make passengers nervous and keeping in between the ditches a challenge.

Dahlonega rests at a higher elevation than my home town- in an area so thinly populated streetlights seem a waste of money. At one point during the trip I swore to my co-pilot (and brave girlfriend) that I just witnessed a big rig hauling a trailer fly through the sky (yes, like a plane) just up ahead. Come to find out a quarter mile up the hill, it was (mildly embarrassed) an optical illusion- just another road that crossed mine. A few moments later the trees that hugged the road disappeared, and I found myself on a narrow road in what felt like the middle of nowhere. I panicked. Then I was reminded (sarcastically) that 2003 Chevy’s come equipped with bright lights, standard.

The irony was that tonight I was the designated driver. In honor of my better half’s recently celebrated 21st birthday she’d be the one double fisting PBR’s while I had a Coke and a smile.

So, why take the trouble dealing with dark roads (honestly, the entire trip required just two left turns- I love rural life) and sobriety? Jason Isbell (one-third of the Drive-By Trucker guitar triumvirate) was scheduled to make a rare appearance with his trio (which includes Trucker bassist Shonna Tucker) to play a set of songs you don’t get at a DBT show. Oh, and some you do!

I missed most of the opening band Feedback while enjoying the greatest thing I think I’ll ever have- giant, freshly baked homemade pretzels. Salted, and ready to dip in a warm beer and cheese soup, it was culinary nirvana. I heard the band play a great version of the drivin’ n’ cryin’ song “Honeysuckle Blue” while captivated by the twisted brilliance of warm dough and wondering if the beer cheese soup violated my commitment to sobriety.

Soon enough the healthy crowd gathered in front of the (floor level) stage set in the corner. Evidently there’s a small college in town, and it looks as if all the women were selected from the finest gene pools in the South- or at least this part of North Georgia. Dahlonega debutantes come with cell phones attached to their ears while the dudes trade in their haircuts for chamo hats and flannel zip up sweater vests. A Tara Reid look alike sat next to where I stood while Isbell tore into his set. Wasting no time setting the mood- the second song was about crystal meth and the third about a cold-blooded killer (Patterson Hood’s “Assassin”). It was on. The wine jug on stage was turned up, and the audience finished beers like breaths until there was a swagger that could only be soundtracked by a Waylon Jenning’s song about “little bitty titties.” It was drummer/crooner Mike Dillon’s first of many crowd pleasing moments. After playing a great tune called “Magician” (which may or may not be on Isbell’s forthcoming solo release; available August 2005) Jason was left alone on stage to play “Goddamn Lonely Love” and “Danko/ Manuel” before being joined by Dillon (on vocals) for a scorching rendition of Tom Petty’s “Even the Losers.” That three-song suite would have made the blind haul worth every mile on it’s own, but the first set closing with Tucker’s harmonizing on both “Outfit” (from Decoration Day, and a song the crowd had been requesting from the word go) and “Nine Bullets” made me certain this experience had to be shared with y’all. Not rubbing it in or anything.

After a short set break the band returned and fearlessly opened with Neil Young’s “Ohio” to an appreciative packed house. The night wound down and the crowd thinned a bit after being treated to Dillon’s three lyric ode to Jack Daniels entitled (easy enough), “Jack Daniels Whiskey.” Even though Buster’s can’t yet serve liquor by the glass we all sang along. The new song “Whisper” ended the set, and after a roar from the still lingering faithful they were off to Winston-Salem for another installment of the Jason Isbell Trio. If you’re lucky enough to live within a hundred miles, a road trip is recommended.