Watch Jason Isbell & Friends Bring ‘Kodachrome’ Cover Into Focus At AmericanaFest Paul Simon Tribute

Guitarist Jason Isbell was part of an impressive roster of musicians who honored Paul Simon last Saturday at a tribute concert presented by AmericanaFest. The pre-Grammy show at the historic Troubadour club in Los Angeles saw Isbell team up with 400 Unit bandmate guitarist Sadler Vaden and Nickel Creek fiddler Sara Watkins on Simon’s “Kodachrome.”

Paul Simon originally issued “Kodachrome” as the lead single from his third studio album, 1973’s There Goes Rhymin’ Simon. The song takes its name from a brand of film sold by Kodak from 1935 through 2010. Simon recorded “Kodachrome,” which reached the No. 2 slot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section at the famed Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. Jason Isbell grew up and cut his teeth musically in the Muscle Shoals area.

Isbell previously performed “Kodachrome” on October 4, 2019 during a Jason Isbell & Friends show featuring the 400 Unit and guests at the Shoals Theatre in Florence, Alabama. While Rob Aldridge handled lead vocals on the Paul Simon cover at the 2019 concert, Isbell helmed the bluegrass-tinged interpretation of the song at the Troubador on Saturday night.

See audience-shot footage of Jason Isbell performing “Kodachrome” with Vaden and Watkins below:

Blind Boys Of Alabama kicked off “An Americana Pre-Grammy Salute to Paul Simon” by tackling “Loves Me Like A Rock” before Isbell, Vaden and Watkins completed the double dose of There Goes Rhymin’ Simon classics with “Kodachrome.” Next came Molly Tuttle and Ketch Secor dueting on “Mrs. Robinson,” one of many Simon & Garfunkel tunes to make the setlist. Others included Marcus King’s “America,” Rufus Wainwright’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” Allison Russell on “The Sound Of Silence” and Dwight Yoakam’s “The Boxer.”

Jackson Browne, Rodney Crowell, Johnnyswim, Ruthie Foster, Andrew Bird, Madison Cunningham, Susanna Hoffs, Larkin Poe and Brett Dennen were more of the artists who performed at the Paul Simon tribute. The night concluded with many of the musicians on hand loading the stage for a “You Can Call Me Al” finale.

Read a full report on the tribute published by Variety. Watch more fan-shot video from the show below:

Setlist (via Variety)

Set: Loves Me Like A Rock (Blind Boys Of Alabama), Kodachrome (Jason Isbell, Sadler Vaden & Sara Watkins), Mrs. Robinson (Molly Tuttle & Ketch Secor), You’re The One (Natalie Lafourcade), 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover (Bobby Rush), Slip Slidin’ Away (Ruthie Foster), The Only Living Boy In New York City (John Vincent III), Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard (Brett Dennen), Paranoid Blues (Larkin Poe), Hazy Shade Of Winter (Susanna Hoffs & Grace Bowers), Late In The Evening (Gaby Moreno), El Condor Pasa (Silvana Estrada), Hurricane Eye (Sean & Sara Watkins), Kathy’s Song (Madison Cunningham), American Tune (Andrew Bird & Alan Hampton), Rene & Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War (Johnnyswim), America (Marcus King), The Sound Of Silence (Allison Russell), The Boxer (Dwight Yoakam), I Am A Rock (Jackson Browne), Bridge Over Troubled Water (Rufus Wainwright), Graceland (Rodney Crowell), You Can Call Me Al (Finale, Everyone)