The weather gods played nice for Jason Isbell’s festival, ShoalsFest, as it returned to Florence, Alabama, for its fifth year.
More than a few people were anxiously checking the weather apps on their phones in the queues outside ShoalsFest on Saturday. Every gust of wind or hint of moisture in the air was greeted with “Oh no, please don’t rain!”. Fortunately, right before the gates opened, the cloud cover broke up and the sun came out. Immediately, all the concerned exclamations about the rain changed to exclamations of “sh*t, it’s hot!”. Truth is, nobody would have cared if it was raining cats and dogs or hotter than Satan’s armpit, it was ShoalsFest 2026 and everybody was ready to have a good time regardless!
First up, in the beaming Saturday afternoon sunshine, to an already very busy McFarland Park, was Kentucky native S.G. Goodman. Stepping out onstage in a black suit and sunglasses, she opened up her set with “Satellite” before launching into “Who Put The Fire Out.” There is a beautiful, dark vibe to Goodman’s music, and her band does a fantastic job of providing the brooding background over which her crystal-clear vocals can soar.
The audience was hooked from the start by a set which included highlights “Snapping Turtle” and “I’m In Love” early on. A great cover of The Butthole Surfers’ “Pepper” preceded “Tell It Like It Is,” with Goodman mentioning, “You can’t say you’ve written a good country song unless you’ve got into a fight with a boy on the internet about it.” The band politely stepped back to allow the ShoalsFest crew to handle an issue with an audience member, and then finished strong with “Space and Time.” It was a truly great start to what was shaping up to be another fantastic ShoalsFest weekend.
Nearly all of the audience were talking about how excited they were for this set, and as the band took to the stage, it was clear that this had been something that people, including the band themselves, had been waiting for for a long time. With an unassuming “How y’all doing” from Patterson, they launched into a set that will live long in the memory of everyone who was lucky enough to see it!
If you’re reading this, you’ll likely already know the tracklisting for Decoration Day, so we won’t run through it here. But safe to say, this hard touring (and drinking) punk/rock band, born out of the Shoals music scene that took a 22-year-old out on the road with them, is a little older, a little wiser, a little cleaner (in Jason’s case), but no less ferocious when they step out onto the stage. It was great to hear Jason share anecdotes – particularly about how his parents were petrified when he first went on the road with the Truckers – but that his behavior actually turned out to be worse than that of the band! It also seemed truly special for Hood, Cooley, and the other members of the Truckers to share a stage again with a member they invited into what was already a phenomenal band, all those years ago, at a festival bearing his name.
Throughout the set, there was an underlying current of pride – pride in the Shoals and pride in each of the musicians for wading through some truly dark times and coming out the other side as friends who are still capable of delivering a world class rock and roll show! Safe to say this was a reunion that lived up to everyone’s expectations (including all the musicians on the stage judging by their faces as they took their final bow!).
The band was already in full flow and had the crowd moving around by the second song 24 Frames. The setlist was a real treat with tracks pulled from right across Isbell’s discography. “Super 8” was a rocking treat, as always, and there was some earlier stuff in the form of “Streetlights” and “Dress Blues.”
Jason and the whole band looked in their element throughout the set, and Jason took time to mention that this may be his favorite show of the whole year. It must have indeed felt like a full circle moment for Isbell. He has come a long way from those booze-drenched Truckers’ shows that helped mold him and gave people the first view of the talented kid who would become one of the greatest songwriters in America today.
As the band stepped off stage after “Cover Me Up,” people were guessing what songs might pop up in the encore. Whilst some may have guessed “Ride to Roberts’” and “If We Were Vampires,” we’re pretty sure nobody guessed that the closing track would be a raucous cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.” Of course, this also presented the perfect opportunity to invite Hood and Cooley back to the stage, and it was a fitting way to close out a fantastic day and set the stage for day two.
PHOTOS BY: Kirstine Walton
