Drive-By Truckers and Jason Isbell linked up last night on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert for their first announced performance together since 2007. The Southern rock stalwarts performed “Hell No, I Ain’t Happy” from 2003’s Decoration Day, which DBT just reissued in a lavish, expanded box set, The Definitive Decoration Day.
As the lights came up in the Ed Sullivan Theater, there stood the starting line of Drive-By Truckers: Jason Isbell, Patterson Hood, and Mike Cooley, all on guitar and vocals. The trio of singers, songwriters, and guitarists led DBT through one of the band’s most celebrated eras. Isbell joined the band as the 22-year-old hotshot guitarist following the release of 2001’s breakout Southern Rock Opera, making his mark on seminal releases Decoration Day, 2004’s The Dirty South, and 2006’s A Blessing and A Curse before splitting in 2007 to launch a storied solo career.
All that history came back around with the crashing chorus of amplification from the band who once claimed they were “truly the loudest band on the planet” from 1999 to 2005. Though nearly a quarter century has passed since Decoration Day, Patterson Hood’s screed of “Hell no, I ain’t happy” and grizzled chronicle of life on the road still hits as hard as it did back then, maybe even more so with another couple decades and tens of thousands more miles under his salt-and-pepper beard. For a sign of the times, Hood updated the lyrics to “I’ve seen just how much I can stand / And I can’t afford my health insurance,” and “Seen Portland, Oregon at 7 a.m.”
Since Isbell’s departure in 2007, which Jason and the band say was on good terms, the parties have made sporadic surprise reunions. Notably, Isbell, Hood, and Cooley linked up in 2014 for a trio benefit concert in Florence, AL, later released as a live album. Isbell also made a surprise sit-in with the Truckers at his curated Shoalsfest back in 2021 and at Ryman Auditorium the next day, but Tuesday marked their first announced appearance together since Jason left the band.
Unfortunately, due to TV time constraints, they only performed the one song during the broadcast. However, it’s not uncommon for the show to record additional off-air performances and release them as online exclusives. Fingers crossed that’s the case, and we get to see more of this reunited DBT lineup.
Watch Jason Isbell join Drive-By Truckers for “Hell No, I Ain’t Happy” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Drive-By Truckers will perform this weekend at Orange Blossom Revue in Lake Wales, FL, before Hood and Cooley split off on separate solo tours, while Isbell will start a solo acoustic tour of his own in January. Visit the Jason Isbell and Drive-By Truckers websites for tickets and a full list of tour dates.
Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell — “Hell No, I Ain’t Happy” — The Late Show With Stephen Colbert