Gregory Alan Isakov With the CO Symphony at Red Rocks Amphitheater
On September 6th, 2026, a cool breeze blanketed Red Rocks. The sounds of violins humming and the audience buzzing with excitement echoed across the venue. And once Gregory Alan Isakov takes the stage, he silences the entire audience with his voice.
Gregory Alan Isakov is a local horticulturist in Boulder, Colorado. Also known as a kind, warm, and exceptionally humble musician, Gregory is one of the most influential artists in the folk genre, influencing dozens of rising and established artists in the industry. It’s no surprise; Isakov’s sound is consistently immersive and grounding in every song he writes.
Gregory opened with Before the Sun off of his latest album, Appaloosa Bones. This intro feels sweeter than usual with the symphony backing his normal instrumentals, yet still transports you into the heat of the desert with his banjo melodies. He continues on with Amsterdam, one of his usual openers that’s a beautiful love letter to the city itself. He continues on with San Luis, Berth, and one of my favorite love songs, Chemicals, a run of songs off of Evening Machines.
Gregory doesn’t take too much time to speak throughout the show, but one of the most notable comments he makes is that he is the least talented musician on the stage, a nod of his appreciation for every musician that stands with him. Although this comment is controversial, his modesty is admired by the crowd cheering him on.
Gregory slows down the pace with Appaloosa Bones, a more somber song that implies emotional rescue from mental health struggles. The symphony graciously leads this into one of Gregory Alan’s more famous covers, Liars. The symphony is a remarkable addition to the composition of this song, building up with a strong orchestral crescendo and adding a feeling of anger to the storyline of the song.
After intermission — a brief moment to breathe from the emotional resplendence — Gregory retakes the stage and begins with Terlingua. This song is a softer love song similar to Appaloosa Bones, however the orchestral sweeps through this song are reminiscent of rain running through the plains. This leads into The Fall, the intro to Appaloosa Bones. The fall is his most stomp-and-holler song off of the album, with atmospheric harmonics from his bandmates.
He then follows up with one of the top favorites that have come from his latest album - Sweet Heat Lightning. Sweet Heat is one of Gregory’s most poignant, hauntingly evocative, yet stunning songs where the symphony shines throughout the song. If Gregory were to put out another album with the symphony, this is one of the songs that would continue to shine for years for any listener and lover of Isakov.
And as if it couldn’t get any better, Gregory led into the song he’s best known for (and arguably a song that is in the running for his magnum opus), The Stable Song. This particular song is transcendental, invoking imagery from the countryside with a bit of childlike fantasy; were we the belly of the beast or the sword that fell? This masterpiece is poetic and not necessarily direct in its meaning, although I find it to be a reflection of Gregory’s humility and grounding roots in the face of the success of his artistry.
He finishes his second set with Master & a Hound, Second Chances, and Caves. Encore takes place in the front and center with his bandmates surrounding him for an old, folk acoustic feel. He begins with Feed Your Horses and then introduces his dear friend, Nathaniel Rateliff, to perform Flowers. He finalizes the night with Saint Valentine, before taking a bow and embracing the standing ovation.
Gregory Alan Isakov’s storytelling and composition is artful and all-encompassing into the universes he creates across every album, and deserving of symphonic performances that are timeless and ethereal. Gregory has mastered the art of immersing an audience into the beautiful world he has created with his music at every show. Gregory’s music is breathtaking, and I can bet my life that he’ll be known as one of the greatest artists in folk years down the line.
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