It was something special to have a packed Paradise Rock Club singing and dancing to The Shins--an intimate setting to relive college and high school memories of when indie music first mattered to a wide audience. Sure the band is still capable of filling larger, arena-approaching venues, but placed within a club setting, there was a stronger communion between artist and audience. Perhaps that’s what James Mercer needs right now.
I’ve been scratching my head about The Shins since Wincing the Night Away, and four years is a lot of scratching. The earnestness that marked Oh, Inverted World and the lush arrangements found on Chutes Too Narrow is what made The Shins great. Something was off on their last record, released in 2007: Mercer had produced most of it by himself, then the band was fired, then Broken Bells.
Yet, none of this mattered for folks who adore this band. When Mercer launched into "Caring is Creepy," the crowed roared with word-for-word enthusiasm. And the enthusiasm never waned through “Australia,” “Mine Is Not A High Horse,” “Pam Berry/Phantom Limb,” until the introduction of a new song that reminded me that this was not the same Shins that had captured my ears ten years ago.
While there were only two songs workshopped in the set, they struck me as being too much in the direction of “Sea Legs”--which, honestly, isn’t a huge mistake, but a direction that makes me less interested in a new album expected next year. Without offering too much insight on the nature of band identity, song ownership, or collective memory, I will say it was odd to experience The Shins with James Mercer as a totem anchor of the band. For one thing, they all look great. With Jessica Dobson on guitar and Yuuki Matthews on bass, the new lineup has Rolling Stone cover potential.
This is in no way to disparage the performance, which was a rollicking and playful 90 minutes of music. But there came a moment in “New Slang” where it felt like this was a band acting as their own cover band. The thought stuck stronger as the encore offered Bowie’s “Ashes to Ashes” and “Breathe” from Pink Floyd, about which Mercer commented, “that’s a great song.” I agree, and I love so much of what The Shins played. The show was brimming with sweet interactions with the crowd, especially as an amp needed to be replaced, and when the front row offered song suggestions. Mercer complied, and added “Girl Sailor” to the set. He was humble, and seemed so glad to be playing his songs. But, I wonder how much of The Shins will be lost through replaced band members and electronic aesthetics.
It was exciting how a will-call for the purpose of preventing ticket scalping encouraged fans to arrive early. These people wanted to see The Shins, and were treated to Faces on Film as a solid opening band. It was a hometown setting for Mike Fiore, and he won many converts. From the general buzz after their set ended, praise was all around for Faces on Film with many folks making plans to pick up a CD (plans we hope materialized).
Fiore must have taken full advantage of his local connections, as the lighting was amazing for a band first on stage. For the opening song, “Moon’s Row,” the full band break down portion was perfectly synched with flashing strobes. He also benefited from strong soundboard engineering, allowing his strong voice to soar rather than become muddied by reverb. We are excited at the prospect of more fans won over by Faces on Film as they continue with The Shins in NYC, and proud that they could play to a welcoming crowd in Boston.
