Photo of Sam Beam of Iron & Wine by Laura Jerele
I almost didn’t think this show was going to happen. All day it was one severe weather alert after another, tornado warnings popping up, and then right as doors were supposed to open, the sky just let loose with rain and hail like it had something personal against the night. Monday night, questionable weather, and a crowd that clearly cared enough about live music to risk it anyway. People showed up to The Pageant and, in true fashion, the show went on!
Iron & Wine walked out and immediately felt like a reset button to the hideous day. Their whole indie folk thing just pulls you in because it’s calming and almost soothing… but it’s never quiet and, for sure, never boring. It’s a mess of mega talent that is super detailed without feeling fussy. Frontman Sam Beam has this laid-back charm, almost conversational presence, but he knew exactly how to steer the room. The crowd was a tad sedate to start, so he quickly joked, “Woos do a lot for us,” which got some laughs and a handful of half-committed woos back. It was his way of nudging the crowd awake a bit, like hey, you can feel and appreciate this music, not just politely observe it. It worked like a charm.
Visually, the set was way bigger than I expected. Deep and bright red colors, layered lighting, something that felt wide open and almost cinematic. Oh, and massive amounts of fog! It honestly reminded me of the kind of atmosphere you would get at a Lord Huron show, where the stage feels like its own little world. It matched the music in a way that made everything feel more immersive without being over the top. It was truly lush and beautiful.
Iron & Wine is not just one guy with a guitar, even if that is how a lot of people first think of them. The songs were built out with a mix of instruments that gave them a ton of texture. You had everything from upright bass to keys filling in space, and subtle layers that punched each song alive. And it was perfectly loud, nothing sedate about it at all, but I will say the crowd was perfectly quiet when songs were played so all we heard was the band and not several hundred people singing at the top of their lungs. They were quiet at the right times, and wooed loudly when they needed to feed the rock stars their well-deserved accolades! They played the songs “Jezebel” and “In Your Ocean” way early in the set, which are two of theirs I like the best and thought maybe those would be towards the end! All in all, it was a really wonderful show and I felt like everyone homed in on feeling connected in that quiet, steady way that Iron & Wine seems to do best. Storm or not, it ended up being one of those nights where showing up paid off. | Laura Jerele
