Harsh, purple lights shone down on an empty stage. A backdrop hung depicting a picture of a forgotten corner of some Midwestern state. The crowd whispered with anticipation that the show was about to begin.
The lights shifted to a red hue and the band immediately launched into a song. The sounds of acoustic guitars, double bass and banjo filled the theater.
Singer-songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov performed at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater onWednesday night. He played the first couple of songs solo and then the band joined.
Isakov and his band brought their brand of contemporary folk back to Bloomington in support of his 2018 album “Evening Machines.” Luke Sital-Singh, an acoustic singer-songwriter, was Isokov’s opener.
Sital-Singh introduced his song “Raise Well.”
“I’m here to warm you guys up,” Sital-Singh said to the crowd. “It’s about kids. Does anyone here have kids?”
Multiple people in the crowd cheered.
“I don’t,” Sital-Singh responded.
“You’re so great!” a woman screamed from the back of the theater.
Isakov let his vast catalogue speak, but made sure he had time to address the audience too.
“I ran into someone outside,” Isakov said. “They said ‘well, what kind of music do you play?’ I never know how the hell to answer that. Sad songs about space, I guess.”
The stars shone down as the music came to a close, the sound of applause and laughter reverberating through the theater.
