Iron and Wine Tickets

Inhibiting, beautiful, dreaming and memorizing. Sam and the gang sounded absolutely wonderful!

When it was just Sam Beam and his accoustic guitar, it was sublime when playing his old stuff. But having the horn section for some of this old stuff was distracting and detracted from the musical essense to which some of those songs stand. "Boy with a Coin" is one of my favorite songs and they kind of destroyed by over complicating it with a bunch of horns. The horns worked for his new material which calls for that kind of jazzy sound and was enjoyable. It was good, just not as good as I think it could have been. Head and the Heart was awesome. Very good performance on their part.

I'd picked up my tickets to the show about a month in advance and was really looking forward to a good time, but it just never materialized. The set list was solid, the band sounded good, but it just never got off the ground. To be blunt, it was dull. I've got a couple live Iron and Wine CDs so I know they can put on a good, entertaining live show, but this was not it. On a few occasions they dragged out songs to the point where it just seemed like the band was more interested in entertaining itself rather than the audience. I'm really sorry I don't have more good to say.

Even though there were inevitably a few favorites I didn't get to hear (a given for a long time fan), I thought it was a fantastic show. The Head and the Heart was a fantastic opener, and hearing old I&W songs reinterpreted with a full band was wonderful. The energy level was great--everyone put on a really quality show.

I could not have been more disappointed. To preface: this concert required a four hour drive one way and staying at an expensive hotel for us to be able to attend this concert; I thought it would be money well spent because we enjoy Iron and Wine music so much. The openning act did a great job of warming the crowd up and providing some seriously wonderful entertainment... then Iron and Wine took the stage and proceded to morph the songs that made them popular into hardly recognizable fusions of their new style. I have never left a concert before, but my wife and I followed the example we saw all around us and walked out before the set was half finished. I will never attend another I&W concert, and where I would purchase the CDs unheard before, I will have to be convinced to buy their music now. On a side note, our seats were perfect except for the idiotic light show that shown spot lights repeatedly directly into the eyes of those in the balcony promting a major head ache and making it impossible to watch the band playing. A high note: I had heard that the staff at the Warfields could be rude and obnoxious, but every last one who we dealt with was curious and positive.

If you want to see a band you've never heard before even though you have been listening to them for 5 years, go see I & W. They didn't play anything I knew or recognized and when I did realize they were playing something I had heard before, they changed it so drastically I barely recognized it. I found myself asking myself if I was in the right concert venue...

What an amazing concert, Iron & Wine sounded great! What a performance, you will not be disappointed! The encore performance was only 1 song though, that should have been longer! Opening act, the head and the heart were great too

Nothing against either act both were good and would have been enjoyable if Madison Theater did not try to fit 1700 people into a venue that should accomodate about 1000, I'm sorry I even went back after other bad experiences.

THATH were awesome! Great to see them in a small venue before they're too famous to play there. Iron and Wine were ok. Too much going on. There were a dozen people on the stage. The old songs were barely recognizable. They sounded like a different band was playing. One bright spot: Did anyone notice Marketa Irglova was a backup singer? Not many bands have an Oscar winner ( Once) for a backup singer. I am not a big fan of the Vogue, but I have to admit every concert I have been there, I have bumped into someone famous that I probably would not have been that close to anywhere else.

Amazing show! Full band, horn section, back up singers, revamped songs, long set, amazing openin band. Couldn't have been any better!

First of all, I would like to say that I am a huge fan of Sam's voice. His unique sound and cadence is what drew me into his music in the first place. I went into this concert expecting more of an acoustic setting with an hour or two of bliss listening to Sam. What I experienced was more of a jam session with Sam and his new band. In my opinion Sam needs NO filler music so, to me, the brass and the psychedelic keyboard was just WAY too distracting to me. Even the backup singers were a bit distracting in certain songs. In addition, this concert was held at the Madison Theatre in Covington. This was my first experience at the Madison and it was VASTLY oversold and dangerously crowded. At one point I could not get back to where my husband was standing and was pinned up against the sound/lights guy's barrier (that was just during the opening act).They do have a balconey with seating and thanks to a very nice woman who worked there we found a place to sit instead of stand down below packed like sweaty, beer covered sardines. The three stars is for just getting to see Sam. If I was reviewing the venue, it would barely warrant one star.

The head and the heart opened and were probably the best opening act I've seen in a while. Iron and Wine put on a great show as they always do, this was my third time seeing them. They have a knack for "covering their own songs.". The Madison was boiling hot. I think my eyes were sweating. Also, every now and then I'd feel cold air blow by, I'm not sure why they couldn't leave it on, especially after one person fainted from the heat. It was so hot I think they cut the show short because the band went on around 9:15 and got off around 10:30. It wouldn't surprise me if they did seeing as Sam Beam was wearing a suit jacket sweater and dress shirt? Also they could have managed seating a little better. After the opening act, a bunch of people left the pit and then people rushed ahead to take those people's places and then the people attempted to reclaim their seats or find their friends and were turned away from the pit by the event staff. Caused a bottle neck at the stairs.

it was sooooo so so hot. Music was good...but he jammed a lot more than i thought he would. All his old songs were redone with lots of brass. It was good but not great.

Sam Beam's first visit to the Cincinnati area was long overdue, but he and the band made it up to the fans in spades. The opening act, The Head and the Heart, set the evening off with a great start, their sweet melodies melding beautifully with the folky arrangements that were one part back porch jam, one part gospel revival. By the time that Iron & Wine finally took the stage, the audience was packed in so tightly there was little room to move or breathe. The heat was oppressive, so much so that both acts mentioned it throughout their show. Iron & Wine's set was beautiful, as well as quite bold. They took the stage with two background vocalists (including Sam's sister, Sarah), a second guitarist, traditional drumset alongside a fantastic percussionist, a keyboard player with an impressive selection of synths and organ sounds, as well as a a trio of horn and sax players who provided amazing texture and detail, helping to reinvent many of the songs from the I&W catalog in breathtaking new ways. Sadly, I was unable to remain for the entire set, but I hope that Iron & Wine keeps Cincinnati on it's tour map in the future, as I will undoubtedly go again.

I absolutely ADORE Sam Beam. I live on his music and rotate his albums(along with other music of course) daily as I sculpt, can't imagine a day without his music! His new album being so different from his last, has still to grow on me. As an artist myself, I understand the need to grow in different directions and taking risks in your art is imperative. That being said, I appreciate the new album, but it's not one of my faves. I knew going to see him at the Madison Theater that I would hear lots of new stuff, but was hoping for some old stuff too. What he performed was new stuff, and older songs re-worked into the style of his newest album. It was great to hear them, but they were almost unrecognizable until he sang the lyrics. For his fans I wish he would have performed them closer to their original sound. The Madison Theater was hot and humid and almost unbearable down in front of the stage. My friend went to go get drinks and staff almost didn't let her back down as they had already let so many down front. It was almost too much too bear, but finally seeing Sam Beam perform live and being that close was worth it, but just barely! The opening band, The Head & The Heart was an unexpected surprise! I was familiar with some of their songs, but each one they performed was awesome! Overall, had a good time, would have been much nicer if the Madison had air conditioning. And if I may, I'd like to share a bit of what I will call, Concert etiquette / general politeness: If you are not in front of the stage, but several other people already are, it is usually because those people planned ahead, and were waiting a couple of hours before the doors opened to get those places. If it is important for you to be up front, you should make the necessary preparations in advance. This doesn't include shoving, stepping on toes and muscling your way through. Saying excuse me doesn't really mean anyone is excusing you! If you see a small gap in front of someone, it might be because someone was there previously and went to the bathroom or went to get a drink, it's not a place held specially for people who think they are so awesome they can come at the last minute and waltz right up to the front. Sorry, that has irked me for years, had to finally get it off my chest!

If you are looking for a flashy show, this is not the show for you. However, if you enjoy great music Iron & Wine delivers... This was I&W's first time in the Cincy area, and the response was amazing. The Madison theathre was packed. Mr. Beam needs to think about playing a bigger venue the next time through. Recommend seeing Iron & Wine if you get the chance. I wouldn't drive a far distance like I would for some of my favorite bands, but definelty look forward to seeing them again.

Way over sold. Waste of money for sure. Hot crowded, couldn't see anything (and I'm 6'4") That said, the band sounded great and in the right environment are always amazing. Just don't go see them here)

I am a huge Iron & Wine fan. Some of my all time favorite songs and most played songs in iTunes are Iron & Wine. Absolutely fantastically talented. I was so excited for this show. However, this show was at the Madison Theater in Covington, Kentucky. Quite possibly the world's worst concert venue. The show was oversold. The temperature was at least 100 degrees. The fire department was called at least twice while I was there. I was unable to hear the music from where I had to stand to catch a break from the heat/crowd. I will have to see Iron & Wine some other time. This didn't count. Not at all. I'm so sad.

The Head and the Heart won over my entire section. There were a few people there that had bought tickets just for them, and they seemed happy as well. The band had a consistent energy throughout their set, no matter whose vocals or playing was featured and at what pace Iron and Wine was good, but there was a texture problem. It was my first show, so to be fair, I haven't followed any evolution of their stage shows, but after the opening act, I+W transitions and song selection felt a bit awkward. They also did more of the extended, loose instrumentals that were a bit meandering, although everything sounded great.

I love Iron & Wine, yet I had a very disappointing concert experience. The show was over sold leaving the Madison theater very crowded and overly warm. Merely moving a few inches to the left or right was a challenge. I actually had a difficult time hearing the music over the noise and conversation. My husband and I ended up leaving after just a few songs.