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On a night when President Joe Biden will be addressing the Democratic National Convention, another guest will be speaking up — or singing out — for the working Joe. Jason Isbell will be performing on the first night of the convention in Chicago, singing his working man’s anthem “Something More Than Free.”
Although the DNC’s musical guests have so far not been announced in advance, Isbell’s impending appearance became clear to the world Sunday night via CNN. The network was conducting live broadcasts from its booth at the United Center in Chicago, where a soundcheck of the song was clearly audible in the background, with the rock singer-songwriter’s face visible on screens. Variety has independently confirmed Isbell’s performance will take place Monday night.
Rarely shy about speaking out on matters he considers important, the Alabama-bred performer has been less active about topical events on social media than usual lately, as he has been out on tour with his band the 400 Unit. So he hasn’t spoken up a great deal yet about the latest electoral developments, although no one in his audience could be surprised by his approval of the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz ticket.
Isbell did offer a wry testimony to Walz’s integrity in an Aug. 8 post on the Threads platform. There, he wrote: “Tim Walz doesn’t just bring the pickguard to get signed after the show, he brings the whole guitar so you won’t think he’s gonna sell it on eBay.”
Back on July 21, he also paid homage to the man who will be sharing the stage with him Monday night at the convention. “Finally somebody shows some integrity and consideration for the American people,” Isbell wrote, upon hearing that the president was stepping back as a candidate. “I don’t know what the right choice was, but I know what the hard choice was. Respect, @joebiden.”
Isbell hit Chicago for his soundcheck the day after playing for tens of thousands of people at Texas’ AT&T Stadium, opening for Zach Bryan, who has described Isbell as one of his primary influences.
Apart from a couple of stadium shows opening for Bryan, Isbell has been headlining amphitheaters this summer, including a Hollywood Bowl show in late July enthusiastically reviewed by Variety.
The lyrics of “Something More Than Free” characterize freedom as a luxury enjoyed by Americans, but also a baseline for richer and fuller lives. The song describes a man exhausted by his job, yet “grateful for the work,” even if it leaves him with little time or energy to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
Isbell said in a 2015 video that the song were inspired by a phone call with his father, who told him that he wanted to go to church with other members of the family, but needed to rest on the one day of the week he got to sleep in past 5 a.m. “I thought, ‘Man, what kind of a position is that to be in — you know, where you’re really grateful for having this job that prevents you from being grateful in public about it in the way that people in my part of the country normally show their gratitude, by going to church and giving thanks with their community for something like that?’”
“Something More Than Free” is not a nightly staple of Isbell’s sets, but it is a recurring concert favorite, with Setlist.fm showing that he has performed it with his band or as a soloist at about 530 documented concerts.
In an interview with Stereogum published in 2015, when the album of the same name was coming out, Isbell shared his thoughts about what the title meant. “Freedom is a means to an end,” he said. “Very often you hear people putting so much emphasis on having the freedom to choose, and living the lives that they want. And I understand that I have been very fortunate to be born into certain circumstances that allow me to do whatever I want to do, for the most part. But freedom can also be enough rope by which to hang yourself. I went through a long period of time where I didn’t have to answer to anybody, so I made a lot big mistakes: things that I don’t necessarily regret now — because I learned from them — but I overdosed on that freedom for a while. I think as you get older, if you mature and grow in the right way, then eventually you realize it’s not really freedom that you’re fighting for. It’s what that freedom can get you. It’s freedom combined with the ability to make good decisions and align your priorities correctly. The ability to make those decisions is a privilege that not everybody has.”
Isbell has not had much to say about Harris’ Republican competitor lately, although his fans know where he stands on Donald Trump. In June, he posted the advice: “All I ask is that you consider voting for a presidential candidate who can legally travel to Canada and the UK.”
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