Iron and Wine 5/13/09

I feel like Iron and Wine fans fall into two categories: those that prefer his earlier solo work, and those who prefer him more fleshed out with a full band. I definitely fall into the former; something about the quiet, hushed folk is just much more up my alley. Last year's Shepherd Dog just really didn't do it for me; I ultimately found it kinda boring, and it left me missing the intimacy of his early work. So after only seeing him with a full band at Pitchfork and on tour with Calexico, I was thrilled to see that Sam Beam was doing a solo tour, with fans voting on the set list. Here was my chance to hear songs from Creek Drank the Cradle, and in the intimacy of Schubas no less.

Having seen Iron and Wine at venues as large as Union Park and Congress Theater, I guess I didn't realize how incredibly personable Sam Beam truly is; I always assumed he was a shy, awkward one. Dressed in his best professor wear (collared shirt, vest and righteous beard), Sam was talkative, funny and easygoing, and it truly felt like "an evening with Sam Beam." My goal for the night was to hear "Lion's Mane" or "Faded from the Winter", and Sam treated me to the first, which was, without a doubt, the highlight of the night for me. As Sam put it, "Chicago really likes that green album", and many of the songs came from Endless Numbered Days. The only thing I could have done without was the audience sing-a-long during "Such Great Heights." There is nothing worse than hearing an audience singing louder than the performer.

Fan-voted setlist below. Head to playedlastnight.com for an mp3 copy of the evening's performance.

01. Intro
02. Each Coming Night
03. Cinders and Smoke
04. Flightless Bird, American Mouth
05. Lion's Mane
06. No Moon
07. Peng
08. Passing Afternoon
09. Free Until They Cut Me Down
10. Two Hungry Blackbirds
11. Sunset Soon Forgotten
12. Bird Stealing Bread
13. History of Lovers
14. Fever Dream
15. Stolen Houses
16. Mouth of the River
17. The Trapeze Swinger
18. Such Great Heights (Postal Service)