The Shins Shine as if They Were Still Brand-New at Red Rocks
October 8, 2017James Mercer belied his twenty years as the frontman of New Mexico’s The Shins last Thursday night in Morrison in front of a packed Red Rocks amphitheater, showing off their unique pop vitality to the packed amphitheater as if they’d just perfected it. In fact, the entire band showed off what seemed like limitless happiness and energy throughout their nearly two-hour set. But for some wrinkles and a subtle stiffness from time to time, you’d never know that Mercer’s been constantly active in rock for more than two decades.
Keeping up with an unofficial tour tie-in to David Hasselhoff (they covered the theme to “Baywatch” in Oregon recently), the band came out onstage backed by the theme to the ’80s hit tv series “Knight Rider,” and dived right into “Caring is Creepy,” followed right on by “Australia” and “Name for You,” before Mercer addressed the ecstatic crowd. His choice of sustenance had to be pure happiness, because he never stopped grinning all night, and kept his energy level – and the band’s – high and strong.
As they launched into the brilliant “Kissing the Lipless,” the crowd was moving with the band in earnest, screaming every word at the top of so many lungs. After “Mine’s Not a High Horse” things settled somewhat, but only slightly, as Mercer and the band flowed through hits and new songs like “Cherry Hearts,” “Mildenhall,” “Saint Simon,” and “Painting A Hole.”
As the set began to peak, they launched into a medley of “Girl on the Wing” and “Turn a Square,” bookended by the pieces of a cover of The Outfield’s “Your Love,” which seriously re-activated the crowd yet again. Almost perfectly mimicking Tony Lewis’s high-pitched voice, Mercer belted out the first few lines of “Your Love,” and then the band led into the medley, creating a veritable “rock block” for nearly 15 minutes. They wrapped up the main set with emotional, yet refreshing versions of “Phantom Limb” and “Simple Song.”
Before the audience really even had a chance to catch a breath, The Shins were back onstage for an encore that started with “The Fear,” and the popular “New Slang” – truly a highlight of the night. They ended the show with a long, jammy version of “Sleeping Lessons,” which featured a satisfying snippet of the recently deceased Tom Petty’s “American Girl” – no doubt bringing out a few runaway tears and deep sighs in the stands.
Austin iconoclasts and Television aficionados Spoon filled a satisfying opening slot for The Shins, playing their minimalist punky rock while the crowd continued to assemble in the stands, and the sun set behind them. Through tunes like “Inside Out,” “I Ain’t the One,” “Hot Thoughts,” and “Can I Sit Next to You,” they ushered in the excitement early on, a foundation for the rest of the night.