Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit along with Sylvan Esso will co-headline a night of beautiful, galvanizing music at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday, July 21. With additional support from Nigerian-born singer/songwriter Uwade, this is one of those lineups that beg to be heard via the splendid acoustics offered by the iconic amphitheater. Tickets for the show are currently as low as $15, but we’ll also be running a ticket giveaway. Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know when the giveaway starts.

Words: Steven Ward

Experience the sound, fury, and tenderness of Isbell with the 400 Unit

At times as sweepingly powerful as a maelstrom, at others tugging the heartstrings with poignant precision, the 400 Unit suffuses Isbell’s songwriting with formidable emotion. Consisting of Sadler Vaden (guitar, backing vocals), Anna Butterss (bass/upright guitar), Derry deBorja (keyboard, accordion, backup vocals), Chad Gamble (drums, backup vocals), and Will Johnson (guitar, backing vocals, drums/percussion), the group’s electric onstage chemistry and billowing sound always leaves crowds enamored. Their most recent album Weathervanes—necessary listening alongside Reunions and The Nashville Sound—is a collection of dusty country gut punches and rolling rock perseverance that instills the sonic power produced by the backing band’s stellar talents.

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An excuse for a Sunday night soiree

Never let a Monday morning get in the way of a Sunday night—leave the kids at home with a sitter (or bring them!) and treat yourself to a night of good music and incredible food. This is an early show with doors at 5:30pm and the first performer starting promptly at 7pm. That makes it a good excuse to get to the Bowl early to make use of its fourteen picnic spots, take a self-guided tour, or head to their store to snag one of their beautiful blankets to stay cozy during the show.

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Enjoy an electro-pop dance party courtesy of Sylvan Esso

Like Isbell and the 400 Unit, Sylvan Esso‘s folk-flecked pop occupies a constantly fluctuating sonic and emotional space. Sometimes, the duo conjures grand, heady dance parties, and sometimes, they tune you to off-kilter but no less captivating meanders through their erratic electronic melodies.

In a lot of ways, they keep you guessing, and while their setlist will no doubt feature some of the atmospheric hypnotism to be found on their last record No Rules Sandy—or their self-titled debut, which just turned ten years old—in truth you could go into a Sylvan Esso concert having never listened to them and still find your body moving giddily to their music.

Bargain ticket prices with zero compromise

In the age of absurdly priced tickets, any concert that costs just $15 to start is something of a rarity. As anyone who’s ever been to the Bowl will tell you, it doesn’t matter where you sit—the music, the atmosphere, the views—all of it is just as magical if you’re sitting in box seats or high up on the hill.

Whatever money you save on the price of admission can be put towards enjoying some of the many amenities the venue has to offer: order a pre-packed picnic box to enjoy before the show, grab a bite of Los Angeles-themed street food, or take your pick from one of the three great restaurants located at the Bowl.

Get there early to hear the breathtaking voice of Uwade

I don’t know if you’re the type to get early to a venue to catch all the openers or if you only show up for the headliners. In a perfect world, absent of all responsibilities, time constraints, and traffic, we’d all catch the first performer baring their soul for a crowd that paid to see the artist performing an hour or two later.

But if there ever was a show you’d be incredibly mistaken to miss the opening for, it’s this one. Uwade only has a handful of singles out, though if you’ve listened to Fleet Foxes‘ Shore, you’ve already been blessed with a resplendent ray of her soul-soothing vocals. Her featherweight and dulcet voice echoing through the hillside venue will be a highlight of the night, we assure you.

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Don’t miss out on the many, many incredible concerts taking place during the Hollywood Bowl 2024 season. Some of our favorites include Laufey with the LA Phil, Natalia Lafourcade and Gustavo Dudamel, Mitski and Sharon Van Etten, and more.