Stephin Merritt Tickets

STEPHIN MERRITT IN CONCERT:

Indie icon Stephin Merritt has been captivating fans with his brilliant baritone voice, heartbreaking melodies, and bitingly funny lyrics since the early '90s, and he remains as powerful as ever more than two decades later. Merritt's primary creative outlet is his band The Magnetic Fields, a baroque pop outfit that has enjoyed tremendous critical success over the years and continues to draw indie fans out in droves anytime they perform. Merritt is known for his musical and personal idiosyncrasies, and every Magnetic Fields show offers fans glimpse into his weird and wonderful world – he only wears brown, his baritone voice is untrained but brilliant, and he suffers from hyperacusis, a rare hearing condition that has left him extremely sensitive to loud noise. Rather than hamper the show, his condition has made it even more unique and wondrous, leading the band to favor a stripped-down setup consisting of acoustic instruments and limited percussion. The result is a hushed, emotional experience that showcases Merritt's dazzling songwriting prowess and holds fans in rapt attention until the very last note. 

BACKGROUND SNAPSHOT:

Stephin Merritt began writing songs in junior high after discovering the music of Swedish pop superstars ABBA. He recorded his early music in his Boston bedroom using a cheap synthesizer, and by the early '90s he was performing with Susan Anyway under the name Magnetic Fields. The band's first two albums, 1991's Distant Plastic Trees and 1992's The Wayward Bus, featured lead vocals by Anyway, but by 1994's The Charm of the Highway Strip Merritt had taken over vocal responsibilities. Together with an expanded lineup, The Magnetic Fields released a pair of albums in the mid-'90s, but didn't find widespread success until 1999's 69 Love Songs, a critical masterstroke that made them indie darlings virtually overnight. Since then the band has continued to garner considerable critical acclaim with each successive album, while Merritt has simultaneously maintained an impressive string of solo releases including Showtunes (2006), and Obscurities (2011). In addition to his pop work, Merritt has scored films, composed music for shows on Nickelodeon, and collaborated with director Chen Shi-zheng on several pieces of musical theater including 2003's Orphan of Zhao. With The Magnetic Fields' 11th album 50 Song Memoir slated to drop in early 2017 (their first record in five years), Merritt has ticket buyers eagerly awaiting the band's return to the stage in support of the release.