Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit w/ Amy LaVere

The Read

LaVere is a Memphis singer who plays upright bass standing up, and the combination gives her songs an odd, hovering quality — the low end is right there in the room with her rather than behind her. She is a good fit for a night at the Ryman precisely because she does not oversell; the building rewards performers who trust it to carry them. By the fifth night the run has its own accumulated logic. Songs that appeared once early on come back changed, and the band has stopped playing for the people who could only make one show. Isbell has treated these stands as a place to work rather than a victory lap, and the late nights are usually where that shows.

The Room

Ryman Auditorium

116 5th Ave N

Built in 1892 as a tabernacle by river captain Thomas Ryman, who was converted at a Sam Jones revival — little did he know it would become the church of American roots music.