Hundreds of concert-goers filled the Atlanta Symphony Hall to bear witness to Gregory Alan Isakov’s musical prowess as he performed with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra on March 23 and 24. Both fans of Isakov and fans of the orchestra united in the symphony hall to share their love of folk and orchestral music.
Isakov has spent the last month on his 2025 Symphony Tour where he met and performed with orchestras in each city, drawing from his expansive discography and creating an awe-inspiring show. Atlanta was no different. He was able to merge his songs with the symphony’s sound in a powerful and moving way.
Over the course of his two-decade-long career, Isakov has established himself as one of the great folk musicians of the 21st century. His albums “The Weatherman” and “Evening Machines” have steered the genre of modern folk music, and Isakov shows no signs of slowing down with his newest record, “Appaloosa Bones,” which contains standout tracks “The Fall” and “Sweet Heat Lightning.”
Isakov has toured copiously over the last few years, stopping in Atlanta each time. This most recent stop was a collaboration with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra, which has been a staple of Atlanta’s popular orchestral music for over 80 years. Strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion come together to create the dynamic performances that the orchestra is known for.
The show opened with “Amsterdam,” and the familiar tinkling of the piano was enough to stop everyone in their tracks and glue their eyes to the stage. The tender nostalgia of the song was made into something even more powerful with the added strings filling in the song’s sonic gaps. The bridge was especially commanding: As Isakov belted “Oh churches and trains / They all look the same to me now,” the orchestra’s intensity grew and grew with the strength of the song.
“Big Black Car” was another standout. Where the initial recording of the song is simple and understated, the symphony brings a whole new complexity to the song, with flitting violins and playfully added notes.
Typical orchestra etiquette was the unspoken rule of the symphony hall. Not a single phone was out recording the show. Each member of the audience was totally immersed in the musical atmosphere that Isakov and the Atlanta Pops Orchestra provided. The only time anyone moved a muscle was during the brief intermission halfway through the show.
The second half consisted of more fan-favorites, “San Luis” and “Second Chances,” as well as “Sweet Heat Lightning” which has been popular on TikTok over the last few months with users sharing what it would be like to meet their younger selves for coffee. The song itself is reminiscent of its namesake — the soft, rolling melodies feel like a hot summer evening on a porch watching heat lightning flash in the distance.
Finally, after a brief skip offstage to give the illusion of the show ending, Isakov and his band arrived back onstage to deliver the encore. The orchestra performed a long intro that culminated with “Feed Your Horses.” The atmosphere felt as though the audience was holding their breath, soaking in every minute and never wanting the final notes to ring out.
However, when the final song did end, the crowd showed Isakov and the orchestra just how impactful their performance was, giving a long, boisterously loud standing ovation. All of the performers gave a bow and brought the concert to a close.
These shows are clearly as meaningful for Isakov as they are for the audiences. Before the tour, he told the Atlanta Magazine, “It was just a labor of love to hear all of these arrangements come together … I can’t wait to hear these arrangements in the spaces they’re meant to be played in.” Isakov’s songs feel as though they were meant to be heard in a symphony hall, backed by an orchestra and performed to over 1,500 enamored listeners.
Throughout the night, he and the Atlanta Pops Orchestra were able to strike the perfect balance between Isakov’s quiet, soul-bearing vocals and the orchestra’s grand instrumentation. The arrangements beautifully elevated the songs that were already so poignant and meaningful to the audience without losing their delicate, nostalgic intimacy.