Late-night talk shows are back in full force following the end of the writers’ strike, with Jimmy Kimmel Live coming back swinging with a performance by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. The singer-songwriter led his backing band through a take on “When We Were Close” from their latest album, Weathervanes, released back in June.
A hallmark of Isbell’s celebrated catalog of gut-wrenching alt-country, heavy instrumentation does its best to mask heavy lyricism on the Weathervanes standout. The song tackles feelings of guilt, a familiar feeling for Isbell, specifically the internal conflict he feels for having survived his years of debaucherous hard living while another friend and collaborator wasn’t as fortunate.
The song was written about Justin Townes Earle, who died of an accidental drug overdose in 2020. Isbell played on the fellow singer-songwriter’s 2010 breakthrough Harlem River Blues and toured behind Earle as his guitarist, fresh out of a stint with Drive-By Truckers. A few years later, however, the two suffered a falling out Isbell attributed to him continuing to associate platonically and professionally with an ex-romantic partner of Earle’s. While it’s unclear whether the two patched things up before his sudden passing, Isbell was one of many artists who participated in a star-studded tribute concert for Earle in Nashville earlier this year.
Watch Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit perform “When We Were Close” on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and revisit Live For Live Music‘s review of Weathervanes. On Tuesday, Isbell and the Unit announced their annual trip to Red Rocks Amphitheatre, set for May 3rd, 2024 with special guest Amanda Shires. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, October 6th at 10 a.m. MT. Click here for more information.
Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit – “When We Were Close” (Live)