A mighty fine way to spend the first Friday night of the new year: with Sunny at the grand opening of the Mars Music Hall, a brand new music venue at the Von Braun Center here in Huntsville. When we heard that the opening night was going to be headlined by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, we knew we had to get tickets.

I’m guessing Sunny and I have seen Isbell perform about a dozen times together — several times in Nashville (the Ryman, the Opry) and a few times in other places (Birmingham, Huntsville). And I’ve seen him another half-dozen times on my own. The Ryman Auditorium is still my favorite venue to hear them (or anyone, for that matter), but this new spot was as good as any other place I’ve seen them perform. I liked the intimate vibe and I thought the band sounded great.

Here are a couple of pics and videos of the night: