Samuel Beam, the man behind the iconic , is still in the midst of a metamorphosis, which was evident by the (sometimes awkward) meandering nature of his sold out show at the on Thursday. But that’s not to say his two-hour set wasn’t up to its usual quality. In fact, the show itself was outstanding in execution, brimming with Beam’s signature spirited humility and easy humor and likely gave everyone the chance to hear at least a few of the songs they’ve always wanted to.
Backed by a 12-piece band — including a wicked hot and well choreographed three-piece horn section — Beam played songs from all over his musical evolution. From jazz-infused pieces like “Carousel,” “Low Light Buddy of Mine” and “Kingdom of the Animals,” to the smooth, but solid, Motown vibe of “Lean Into the Light” and funky versions of “Jezebel” and “Grace for Saints & Ramblers,” the entire ensemble showed serious musicality, poise and easy cool. It was punctuated by Beam’s humble, personable onstage charisma (and the occasional catcall from the excited audience – including a request to “…live in beard” – met by a laughing “Wait your turn, bitch!”).
The highlight of the show came in the middle, as the band left Beam alone on the stage, accompanied only by a pair of acoustic guitars and his voice. During these quiet performances of “Woman King,” “Resurrection Fern” and “Sodom, South Georgia,” there wasn’t a single sound from the audience, save for the applause.
The awkward part of the show – the part that occasionally made any real reverie in the music difficult to find – was trying to keep up with Beam’s dabbling in so many of the different genres he’s been testing while remaking himself. While Beam can obviously master the sound and musicality of so many genres, it was pretty clear that – at least for now – not all of them actually fit well with Iron & Wine.
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Billy Thieme is a Denver-based writer, an old-school punk and a huge follower of Denver’s vibrant local music scene. Follow Billy’s explorations at , and his giglist at .
Seth McConnell is a member of YourHub at The Denver Post and a regular contributor to Reverb.
