Isbell covered the quintessential power ballad—on double-neck guitar—at the MusiCares gala honoring the Jersey rocker
You only had to look at Jason Isbell's silhouette to realize what song he was going to perform at the MusiCares tribute to Jon Bon Jovi on Friday night in Los Angeles. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat and long duster coat and holding – the giveaway – a double-necked guitar, it was clear “Wanted Dead or Alive” was on the cards.
Isbell acknowledged as much on Instagram on Saturday: “I think it's pretty obvious which Bon Jovi song I did by looking at this photo,” she wrote.
While Isbell may have looked more like Richie Sambora than JBJ, she delivered the goods, saying she “saw a million faces” and rocking them all without a trace of irony. Of course, Isbell can sing the phone book, but it was the guitar solo she played that made “Dead or Alive” such an '80s epic.
Jon Bon Jovi was the recipient of the MusiCares Person of the Year Award, joining past honorees such as Joni Mitchell, Lionel Richie, Dolly Parton and Bruce Springsteen. His New Jersey idol was also in attendance despite mourning the death of his mother just two days earlier. Springsteen and Bon Jovi also joined the stage, performing Bon Jovi's crossover country hit “Who Says You Can't Go Home” and Springsteen's own “The Promised Land.”
“I want to thank my hero, my friend, my mentor Bruce Springsteen,” Bon Jovi said during his speech. “Bruce's mom died two days ago. When I first heard the news he was already on the plane on his way here. But he wanted to be here tonight for MusiCares. And he wanted to be here tonight for me, and I'm forever grateful.”
Isbell, meanwhile, will compete for three awards at Sunday's Grammys. He's up for Best Americana Performance, Best Americana Roots Song and Best Americana album for his latest LP, Weathervanes.
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/jason-isbell-bon-jovi-wanted-dead-or-alive-1234960240/
