Folk singer Gregory Alan Isakov enraptured the city of Ann Arbor and about 30 Hillsdale students on January 18 with his performance at The Ark, a notable folk music hall. The performer filled all 400 seats of the cozy venue.
“The atmosphere was very nice and pleasant, and it felt very intimate between him and the audience,” junior Christina Lambert said. “He really enjoyed sharing his music with us.”
Isakov played both acoustic and electric guitars and was backed by another guitar, a cello, a drum set, and occasionally a banjo. He also switched between microphones, a technique which pleased the audience.
“It sounds like he’s on an old radio,” sophomore Laura Williamson said.
Isakov’s most memorable moment occurred during his student-beloved song “The Universe.”
Sophomore Savannah Falter memorized a portion of the refrain: “The universe is wounded, but she has infinity ahead of her.”
During the song, Isakov and his band turned off the lights and sang in the dark.
“It sounds kind of funky, but it was the most beautiful thing in the world,” Falter said.
The only light on the stage was an illuminated globe. Isakov and his band hope to perform in planetariums in the future, Falter said.
“Whenever he goes to a planetarium, I’m going meet him then. And it’s not going to be a school night it’s going to be, like, a Friday, and it’s going to be fantastic. My wedding could be there!” Falter laughed.
Falter also described some of the older couples who were watching as “relationship goals.”
Lambert believes part of her love of Isakov stems from memories associated with her years at Hillsdale.
“He became the sound of so many parts of sophomore year,” Lambert said.
From writing papers to driving, each of his songs reminds her of something else. She even knows them well enough to know when he changes something about them. She appreciated most how genuine his voice was and how deeply he seemed to enjoy the performance.
“We like the songs, but he likes them more,” she said.