The spirit of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young lives on in Southern-fried country rocker Jason Isbell.
In fact, the 43-year-old went to great lengths to bring David Crosby onstage with him as recently as last year.
As a result, Isbell and his backing band The 400 Unit shared the stage with Crosby at his final live show before he tragically passed away at 81 on Jan. 18.
“That was the last time I saw him,” Isbell told Rolling Stone.
Now, he’ll pay tribute to his Rock and Roll Hall of Famer friend when he goes on tour from January through May this year.
Over the course of 20 concerts, the four-time Grammy winner will swoop into big-market cities in the U.S. and Canada playing his greatest hits and diving into his Drive By Truckers catalog as well before closing the run with a pair of shows at Morrison, CO’s world famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre on May 3 and May 4.
Whether or not he plays tracks from CSNY’s archives is anyone’s guess but, no doubt, Crosby’s essence will live on with the brief tour.
Want to attend?
Here’s everything you need to know about the tour.
Jason Isbell 2023 tour schedule
A complete calendar featuring all of Jason Isbell’s upcoming tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets can be found below.
David Crosby final performance
Crosby’s last official show was on Feb. 26, 2022 at the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara, CA.
At the show, Crosby took the stage for the show’s encore and sang along to Isbell’s “What’ve I Done to Help” as well as the CSNY classic “Ohio” along with Shawn Colvin.
Prior to that, Crosby hadn’t performed since 2019 when he played in Toronto.
For more about the improbable final gig for the outspoken, check out Rolling Stone’s comprehensive coverage here.
Jason Isbell wife
Each and every Isbell concert is a family affair.
His wife, Amanda Shires, plays with The 400 Unit and may even sing at the show you attend.
In addition to touring with her husband, Shires makes up a quarter of the country supergroup The Highwomen with Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, and Maren Morris.
She also plays the fiddle, autoharp, the ukulele and tenor guitar.
We recommend checking out her latest album, the powerful “Take It Like A Man” which made both the New York Times and NPR’s Best of 2022 lists.
Jason Isbell opening act
A number of artists will be joining Isbell onstage at select shows in the next couple months.
Here’s who you might see perform with him when he comes to a venue near you.
Shawn Colvin gives us chills. Her classic single “Sonny Came Home” feels just as immediate in 2023 as it did upon its release in 1996. Most recently, the folksy pop star released the 12-track album “Uncovered” in 2015 which includes a cover of the indisputable Gerry Rafferty banger “Baker Street” featuring David Crosby which seems like some kind of cosmic coincidence. Plus, she gets a little help from “Walkin’ In Memphis” singer Marc Cohn on the record as well.
Peter One blends American country music, folk and African harmonies to create a wholly unique sound. Now in his mid-60s, he’s enjoying his time touring with Isbell after working as a nurse in the early 2000s. We suggest diving in and trying his most popular track “Clipo Clipo” first.
Kathleen Edwards is a Canadian singer-songwriter who some describe as Suzanne Vega meets Neil Young. Her minimalist, breathy singing voice will surely comfort audiences before a raucous, rockin’ Isbell set. Plus, here’s a bit of hot gossip: Edwards briefly dated Justin Vernon of Bon Iver from 2011-2012. Feel free to whisper that to the person sitting to your right at the show while she plays.
Allison Russell‘s sound pops. As soon as you hear the Canadian singer-songwriter, you may find yourself closing your eyes and nodding your head in no time. It’s hard not to with a song as catchy and wholesome as her calming “Nightflyer.” Active since 1999, she’s been nominated for three Grammy Awards. Want to hear her stuff? Click here.
Country stars on tour in 2023
Southern-fried music is on the menu this year.
Here are just five of our favorite acts venues all over the country are serving up just for you.
• George Strait with Chris Stapleton
Need just a little more country in your life?
Take a peek at our list of the 12 biggest country tours in 2023 here.