Last night, I went to see The Shins by myself. Why did I go by myself? Because when I asked anyone else to go, they replied with either a) "I have to work," or b) "Who are The Shins?" And I'm sorry, but if you don't know who the Shins are, then I'm going to have to choose to be a music snob and un-invite you.
The venue was a ballroom at the U of U campus. And when I say "ballroom," I mean a big wooden dance floor and big curtains and big chandeliers. I've never seen a non-big-band concert in such a location, but it was pretty cool. The opening act was a New Zealand multi-gender sextet called The Brunettes. They all sang and played multiple instruments (including the clarinet, the harmonica, and the triangle). They played 60s-influenced alt-pop that was delightfully fun, especially the song they sang about Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, where they all donned masks resembling the famous twins.
The Shins came out and played a very impressive set spanning both of their equally impressive albums. For those of you not familiar with The Shins, remember in Garden State when Natalie Portman is listening to the headphones in the waiting room and she puts them on Zach Braff's head and says "It'll change your life, I swear"? THAT'S The Shins. For those of you who still haven't seen Garden State, The Shins play quaint, mellow, 60s-infused pop derivative of The Byrds or Donovan. Their chord progressions are always interesting and the singer can do some amazing stuff with his voice. Anyway, the concert was great and I had a super time, even by myself. I'd love to write more, but I didn't get off work until 7 tonight, and that's an entirely different post in itself. I'll write more this weekend. Late.
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