Good Music, Good Hair

I arrived feeling lucky to have scored second row seats at such a venue for such an artist, because although Iron & Wine’s latest, The Shepherd’s Dog has a few booty shakers on it, overall this is a pleasantly quiet act and it was nice and classy to sit back in the plush red seats and enjoy a mellow evening. Openers Arthur & Yu were appropriately calm, especially considering Sonya Westcott’s bashful vocals, but they were thrilled to be in NYC for the first time. Although the audience was sparse during their set, a few scattered fans regularly shouted support and in the end it seemed to loosen the band up a bit. Some notable parts of the set were Grant Olsen’s excellent vocals and whistling, and of course Westcott’s passionate tambourine whacking (heh). The highlight however came when they pulled out some crazy, neon orange tube things that made an otherworldly hiss when spun around. What an excellent use of a child’s toy they were.

Soon after emerged the lovable Sam Beam, looking snappy in a purple sweater vest, and with his blond locks shining gorgeously under the stage lights. I mean, wow, that guy really has some excellent hair. I wonder what kind of shampoo he uses. He said hello to the audience and revealed that the set would consist of mostly new songs, which earned a few hoots and whistles. This turned out to be an appropriate warning, as he went on to play almost entirely songs off The Shepherd’s Dog. This just-released album is notably more dense and multi-instrumental than his previous releases, which justified his entourage of a whopping six, including his timid sister Sarah. The accompaniment included piano, upright bass, slide guitar, a funny metal twangy thing, and two percussionists, one of whom was visibly enthusiastic about being there. Although a big part of me would have loved to hear a few more old Iron & Wine songs, it did feel like a special treat to experience almost the entire new album as a representation of Beam’s current musical state and the styles he’s excited about at the moment. Sure, it would have been a bummer for any fan who’s not fond of the new album, but Beam was at least sounding great and singing oh so sweetly. His vocals were like that of an angel. An angel in a sweater vest.

Highlights for me, aside from the gorgeous crooning, were upbeat numbers off The Shepherd’s Dog like “Pagan Angel And A Borrowed Car” and “The Devil Never Sleeps,” both of which took full advantage of the accompaniment and definitely made me want to leap up and move a little. When he did get around to teasing the audience with older songs, they were often slowed down and done a little differently. “On Your Wings” was subdued but still pleasant, while the normally bubbly and with Calexico “History of Lovers” was slowed down measurably and aided only by Sarah and the slide guitar. Overall, Beam’s performance, although it could have been a tad more engaging, seemed to go well with the seated and peaceful Sunday evening that it was, and I don’t think any of this translated into disappointment. He was clearly very into the music at hand, it being the new material he’s been developing and perfecting. His mellow attitude and back-to-the-audience playing didn’t turn off at least one female fan, who shouted out “I love you!” during a moment between songs, to which he replied “I love you too.” What a lucky gal. It would appear that the ladies like musicians. Huh.

Setlist

Lovesong of the Buzzard
Peace Beneath the City
Innocent Bones
On Your Wings
Pagan Angel And A Borrowed Car
White Tooth Man
House by the Sea
The Devil Never Sleeps
Boy With A Coin
Sodom, South Georgia
Carousel
Upward Over The Mountain
Jezebel
Wolves (Song of the Shepherd’s Dog)
Resurrection Fern
The Sea And The Rhythm
Flightless Bird, American Mouth

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History of Lovers