Before the first song was over, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a solemn evening. Sam Beam, the South Carolina songwriter who records and tours under the moniker Iron & Wine, opened with a joke that landed easy laughs from the packed Michigan Theater crowd: “We’ve got some old songs, some new songs, and some middle songs. Well, that’s all the middle songs.” This was going to be fun.
That lighthearted tone might come as a surprise to some, given the often seriousness tone of Beam’s songs. But, Beam on stage is genuinely funny and warm. When he’d announce an older song, a wave of slight yips would ripple through the crowd, what Beam affectionately dubbed “the old song noise.” He seemed to enjoy it as much as they did.
The evening opened with “Sweet Talk” and “Jezebel,” the latter a fan favorite from the 2005 ‘Woman King‘ EP, before moving into the new and old material previously mentioned. The show was in support of ‘Hen’s Teeth,’ his eighth record and sixth for Sub Pop, released in February. About a third of the 20-song set drew from the new album. The material held its own against even the strongest of his work. “In Your Ocean,” an intense and endearing love song from ‘Hen’s Teeth,‘ could have passed for something off his debut, a testament to how consistent Beam has remained as a writer.
The setlist ranged widely across his career: “Resurrection Fern” and “Half Moon” from ‘The Shepherd’s Dog,‘ (2007)“Upward Over the Mountain” from the debut ‘The Creek Drank the Cradle,’ (2002) “Grace for Saints and Ramblers” from ‘Ghost on Ghost,‘ (2013) “Fever Dream” from ‘Our Endless Numbered Days,’ (2004) “Call It Dreaming” from Beast Epic (2017).
Devoted fans got the old song noise going more than once. The songs in the set are pretty much all the same from night to night, but the order varies each time. Don’t come to an Iron & Wine show expecting the obvious “hits,” either. Beam is going to play what he wants. Even if you know the songs, you might not know the live version. He’s playing with the arrangements and changing keys. For the uninitiated, this might be a bit unsettling. For the fans, it’s part of the fun. He could just be up there going through the motions, playing the songs everyone expects, but where’s the fun in that? He always keeps fans on their toes.
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Beam was backed by a full band, which really added some flavor to the songs. Even slower songs had a pulse to them. The backing vocalists contributed harmonies that transformed even the simplest songs they touched, like during “Half Moon,” turning into an enchanting melody.
The set closed with “Wait Up,” a tender track from ‘Hen’s Teeth,’ during which opening act Improvement Movement joined Beam on stage to bring home their harmonies, lending the song even more warmth.
The encore delivered two more. “Glad Man Singing” from ‘Kiss Each Other Clean‘ opened it, and Beam and the band made it their own, the bass drum and cello putting a foundation under the song, including some brief jam interludes that opened things up before Beam’s voice came back in to punctuate the lyrics alongside the drums. He closed the night with “Grace Notes,” before disappearing (for real this time).
Improvement Movement set a high bar for the night with their set, despite a flat tire that caused a very late soundcheck (resulting technical difficulties). They played through all of it like consummate professionals, though. Their set was part CSNY, part psychedelic pop, and entirely their own, old-school sounds with updated energy, tight harmonies, earned guitar solos, and the kind of locked-in playing that only comes from a band that genuinely cares about the music and plays together constantly. They’re worth seeking out.
The Michigan Theater was the right room for all of it, too. An old theater that has been reworked into what is normally a movie theater with an ornate stage. The crowd was quiet but never stiff, a room full of people happy to be there, yipping softly at old songs and leaning into serious music held lightly. Beam made sure of that.
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