Iron and Wine Tickets

Edie was a real treat! Plus, Iron & Wine played such amazing new versions of his songs along with new tracks. Good times!

The show did not "sound" like Iron and Wine to me. Granted, I have not been a fan of the direction take in the past few years, but expected to still enjoy the old songs that I know and love. Sadly, the new interpretation of the old songs made me enjoy these least of all. It seemed as if they tried to jazz up the set to make it more upbeat and "concert-friendly". But, it just lost all the character of what I think of when I think of Iron and Wine.

One of the best concerts I have been to, although way too short. Trapeze Swinger as the encore was the best version I have heard. So stark. So amazing.

Iron & Wine, for as long as I've been listening, has been about subtle harmony of lo-fi music arrangements, and intense, beautiful vocals. In the magnificent Radio City in New York City, he opened with a 5 song set with new but beautifully sparse arrangements of old favorites. It was fantastic and exactly what I was hoping for. This, aside from the single-man-with-a-guitar, was easily the highlight of the show. The next 10 songs were performed with a full band complement including a tenor sax, baritone sax, trumpet, electric instruments and full percussion section. In general, I felt like these arrangements took away from the simple elegance of his classic sound. Many of the songs sounded chaotic at times, and some ended with a chaotic cacophony of horn, electric guitar, and bongo. The live renditions of fan favorites "Cinder & Smoke" and "Boy with a coin", despite heavy rearrangement, were recognizable but failed to match the greatness of their album counterparts. I more than once thought about leaving the show early. It is unfortunate that I may have caught Iron & Wine perhaps too far into his career. A skilled and ever evolving musician as his albums rightly show, he's similarly grown his live show to both experiment as well as give his audience something new. It's unfortunate that this "new" simply doesn't match my expectations. To have the show end with a fantastic encore that featured the lone Sam Beam commanding the stage with his voice and incredible guitar work simply punctuated the thought of a concert that could-have-been. Radio City is a beautiful venue with incredible visuals and incredible sight lines. The acoustics are amongst the best in the world. At times, I couldn't tell if the deep rumbling bass was actually the subway underground.

I have never seen a concert at Radio City before, but it was definitely an experience. Curtain time was listed at 8:00pm, and the opening act was playing at 8:01. Definitely a nice change from other venues I've been to where it could be anywhere from twenty minutes to two hours from 'start' time when a band finally comes on. There was about fifteen minutes between the opener and Iron and Wine coming on the stage. The opener was not my cup of tea. I felt her voice was droning and sometimes incoherently sing songy. I understand some people might go for that, I, personally, do not. Either way, I was glad they didn't play for long. ..Iron and Wine was incredible. It was my first time seeing them. [saying "them" now is strange, when it was simply "him" for so long] I had been listening to the new album via the website for some time, thus greatly enjoyed hearing the songs live. I really like the tone and feel of the new album, much more bluesy and 'jazz-y' if you will. I regret not being able to see them earlier, since he played almost every 'old' song in a 'new' way.. but only one song [house by the sea - which i felt was sped up too greatly, and overly ..Caribbean-ized? but that's another story] did I not love being updated/given a new life. My favorite update being Love and Some Verses, which was ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS, in my opinion. I want that recorded, and I want to listen to it over and over and over... .. you get my point. I love that the new album is a little more dancey, a little more lively. Don't get me wrong, I could listen to his whispery lullabies all day.. but it is really good to see him progress as an artist, from a man with a guitar, to the leader of a nine piece band. I think it really suits him. I should also mention the SOUND there. Absolutely perfect. Perfect volume, perfect mixing. Nothing was drowned out, nothing was lacking. BIG props to the sound guys at RCMH. Oh, and you SIT, there.. a new experience for me. But it really allowed you to just relax and absorb the experience, rather than deal with jostling and the like. I didn't think I would like it but, alas, I did. Overall, an incredible night of music. I cannot wait to see him/them again.

Iron & Wine has definitely gone in a different direction with their new work, but these songs are still clearly from the same source. New takes on older songs were also enjoyable. Ample use was made of the band backing up Beam and his guitars. Of course, some of the classic songs from earlier albums also appeared. Samuel Beam's stage banter was a charming addition to a stellar musical performance.

The acoustics were incredible at Radio City. That said, Sam Beam decided to take most of his songs in a rockin' new direction, an experiment that generally did not succeed.

I had heard a bunch of Iron and Wine songs but never got into him. Seeing this show changed my perspective forever. Great, and funny stage presence and of course the music was amazing. Edie Brickell and her band were a great complement.

Sam Beam of Iron and Wine has the most unbelievable voice I have EVER heard. When he sang his last song "Remeber Me, I had to rememeber to breathe it was so remarkabley haunting and beautiful. I found the band that performed with Sam distracting and uncomfortable sounding. I felt like every extra person performing took away value to the show. Because he is such a phenomenal singer/musician, with regards to Sam Beam of Iron and Wine less is definately more.

SAM IS AWESOMELY INNOVATIVE!!! I LEFT FULL OF MUSICAL LOVE!!!!

Great event, fantastic concert. So great to see Sam Beam live. Very easy going group. His solo acoustic encore finish was the best moment of the night. Bravo, hope to hear him come again.

Out of the many concerts I've been to, Iron & Wine was the only one I stayed at from beginning to end. The full band added a great touch to some of his older music! I wasn't too pleased with the opening act, Edie Brickell. Every song sounded the same and the lyrics were way too repetitive.

Iron and Wine is always a great show. With Sam's voice and guitar, there's always going to be some moments that were exactly what you came to see. That being said, his new experimentation with a big band and electronica does not seem to me to highlight what he does well, and I felt like his voice and his songs were both lost, in the middle section, in all the noise that was being made. Doesn't seem to suit.

Great show at a legendary venue... Edie also surprised with a very nice set. Iron & Wine was incredible!

Great set, wish he would have played Each Coming Night...Trapeze Swinger was probably the best six minutes of my life. Glad the crowd was respectful enough to let the beauty of that song unfold, uninterrupted.

I particularly liked the first few songs before the band came out, and the encore (Trapeze Swinger, with just Sam). The band was great too, but I'm a fan of his acoustic sound so I'm glad he did part of the show that way.

New album has different sound as Beam walks "far from home". I enjoyed the new sound but hope he returns to the stuff I'm used to.

Sam Beam was absolutely heartwarming and funny. Really made the crowd feel great for being there and that he was happy to be there as well.

Not only was Sam Beam (and his amazing beard!) incredible, the band was exquisite and fun---loved Rosie Thomas, too! I loved that the show was different from all the wonderful albums I've been enjoying over the years.

I thoroughly enjoyed this show. I really like the ambiance of the Florida Theatre. The buildings age shows through its beauty and helps carry sounds so well. Iron and Wine were spectacular. Whether playing solo or with the many other instruments, the music was great. Sam Beam's voice is mesmerizing.