The Shins at Orpheum Theatre, 6/1/12
Categories: Last Night
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| Photo by Tony Nelson |
with The Antlers
The Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis
Friday, June 1, 2012
View a slideshow here.
When most artists are trying to recreate songs from days gone by, Shins frontman James Mercer and company are constantly constructing, reinventing, and modifying their sound. It was a reminder that music is not something found on an album, expected to sound the same every time, but rather a medium that can be new each time it's performed.
The band opened with "Kissing the Lipless," that is vaguely redolent of subsequent Vampire Weekend jams. After a false start due to technical difficulties, "Caring is Creepy," one of the tracks popularized by the Garden State soundtrack, was met with cheers from the audience. The Portland band has come a long way since Zach Braff "made a mix CD with all of the music that I felt was scoring my life at the time I was writing the screenplay," essentially putting his favorite bands on the map. On their newest album, the Shins highlight a more sentimental, intimate side of the band, so when they stand before a dropcloth with the graphic of a mountain and weird-looking rabbit creature, and sing "Well, this is just a simple song, to say what you done. I told you 'bout all those fears," you truly believe the words.
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| Photo by Tony Nelson |
It's always difficult to gauge the amount of banter that should occur between songs, and James kept it to a minimum, which can be a good thing if you are trying to keep the mood with such a huge production with lights and stage design that included cutouts that echoed the backdrop. While Mercer captivated the audience with his lilting voice, The Shins were able to remind the accidental and fair-weather fan why they were drawn to the band in the first place.
"New Slang" was slipped in near the end of the set, with James donning an acoustic guitar and slowing down the pace of the show. Clearly being the highlight of the show, the audience readily joined along in the chorus. If you closed your eyes during "Sleeping Lessons," the last song in the regular set, it was easy to imagine a band that has matured and mapped out their mark on the indie-rock world.
Approaching the stage and opening the encore solo, Mercer introduced "September" as a track off the new album as one of his favorites, written for his lady. It was a sweetly poignant love song penned with a hint of sadness. The band had planned to include "It's Only Life" in the regular encore, but James yielded to an audience member's request of "40 Mark Strasse," which led to more people shouting out requests, but the band ended with "One by One All Day, " a piece on album that usually runs around the four minute mark, but was stretched out to a jam session, that drowned out the cheers of the crowd. No matter how many shows one attends, it can be easy to forget the magic that can occur when artistry and sound come together. Natalie Portman was right: The Shins will change your life.
Critic's bias: Outside of its odd, meandering lyrics, the sound of "New Slang" reminds me of what being in love is like: warm, hazy, and lost somewhere between reality and fantasy.
The crowd: A mix of an older group and hipsters.
Overheard in the crowd: "I don't know what Scott Seekins is doing on the organs." in response to the resemblance of the keyboard player to the Minneapolis mainstay.
Random notebook dump: "This is our last song," claims James Mercer -- jams for another twenty minutes with false endings.
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| Photo by Tony Nelson |
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| Photo by Tony Nelson |
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