This Show Will Change Your Life

Went to see The Shins play a sold out show at the Commodore Monday night. There was a lineup of people still hoping to grab some last minute tickets outside the venue when we got there.

Viva Voce opened. The band consists of husband and wife duo Kevin and Anita Robinson. The two piece from Portland had a big sound with Anita on vox and guitar, and Kevin manning vox, drums, keyboards and acoustic guitar duties. They had some groovy guitar riffs and were really impressive as openers.

The Shins came out and started with Sleeping Lessons. They continued playing the first four songs off their new album before rocking out to Kissing The Lipless. The stage was decorated with some hanging lights and the backdrop displayed the cover art to Wincing The Night Away.

There wasn't much in-between song banter with the crowd except for simply thanking the audience numerous times. The guys did go over and talk to each other a few times before songs, possibly changing up the setlist on the fly.

Vocalist James Mercer did a solid job hitting the high notes and making us feel the lyrics he was conveying. Marty Crandall and Dave Hernandez were quite energetic, bouncing around the stage. Anita from Viva Voce came back out and helped on vocals and tambourine during a few songs, including Phantom Limb and New Slang. We also had a few crowd sing-a-longs going throughout the performance.

Some other highlights from the 1hr 20min set included Australia, A Comet Appears, Caring Is Creepy, Gone For Good, and So Says I.