Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit @ Rock and Roll Hotel

Everyone at the Rock and Roll Hotel probably had their own highlight — mine was “Dress Blues,” which has to be the most devastatingly poignant song written about the war in Iraq — but the anthemic “Outfit” got the loudest reception. Isbell teased it for a brief second, then played the first bit by himself, but the band and the crowd joined in a room-wide singalong. After a quick smoke break it was back to work with two solo numbers (one a Richard Thompson cover), before the surprises started rolling in. Jimbo Hart thumped that familiar, ominous bass part as word started circulating through the room: “Are they doing Psycho Killer?” Guitarist Browan Lollar sang a decent lead part and the band turned the slight tinge of playfulness of the original into blistering, angry guitars.

With eardrums pretty much shot and the crowd getting weary, Isbell and Co. did what his old band used to do when they sensed a lull: they chugged a lot of Jack Daniel’s and kept on going. “Try” pushed the tempo with a lurching riff and a bouncy close. Then came the encore, and if you don't regularly comb through setlists, the song selection was a surprise. First up was their take on Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic" — delightful, even if Lollar didn't quite nail the lead guitar part — followed by a furious version of the Thin Lizzy classic rocker "Jailbreak" to cap off the night.

The gauntlet's officially been thrown down to the Truckers, and frankly, it's going to be awfully hard to match a set of this kind of range and performance. But enough comparisons — this night was all about Isbell and his new band. Standing right in front of the stage, you had to wonder if maybe even bigger and better things await him (for one, the day any yahoo in a cowboy hat records "Dress Blues" or "Outfit," Isbell's got a million bucks coming his way). You never like to see a great band split up, but it appears this time all parties — us included — are going to benefit.