Jason Isbell has played his first full set with Drive-By Truckers since leaving the band in 2007.
The reunion took place on October 3 at ShoalsFest in Florence, Alabama, where Isbell joined Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and the Truckers for a complete performance of their 2003 album Decoration Day.
The 15-song record was played in full for the first time, with “Uncle Frank” and “TVA” added during the run before the band finished with “A World of Hurt.” “Outfit” and the title track, both written by Isbell, had reportedly not been performed by the full group since 2007.
The ShoalsFest set was more than a brief guest appearance. It ran as a complete Drive-By Truckers performance, making it the clearest reunion of Isbell’s era in the group since his departure.
Isbell joined Drive-By Truckers in 2001 and made his recording debut with the band on Decoration Day. He remained through The Dirty South and A Blessing and a Curse before beginning the solo career that eventually produced records including Southeastern, Something More Than Free and Weathervanes.
BLUNT’s staff included Isbell’s Something More Than Free among its favourite albums of 2015, recognising how decisively his writing had developed after the Truckers years.
Later that night, Isbell headlined with the 400 Unit. Hood and Cooley returned during the encore for a cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World,” closing the gap between the reunion set and the career Isbell built afterwards.
ShoalsFest was founded by Isbell in 2019 and returned last year after a two-year break. The 2026 weekend also included Jeff Tweedy, S.G. Goodman, Willow Avalon and Steve Trash, with proceeds supporting musicians’ mental-health organisation Nuçi’s Space.
No wider Drive-By Truckers reunion tour has been announced. For one night, the full Decoration Day chapter was allowed to exist onstage again.
