Story & Photos by Andy Lyons, Editor-in-Chief
Indie rockers The Shins hit the road this summer in support of their latest album, “Heartworms.” Fans in Kansas City were treated to a laid back, mellow show Thursday night at the Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland, with James Mercer & Co. keeping the crowd entranced for a full 90-minute set.
With a setlist that included tracks from across the group’s 16 years’ worth of music, the crowd at The Midland was stuck in a trance-like state until late in the set, with tracks “Painting a Hole” and “The Rifle’s Spiral” getting the crowd into the show.
Late in the set, the crowd treated the band to a singalong during “Phantom Limbs,” often louder than Mercer was coming through the PA. After closing their set, the crowd erupted cheering for an encore – only to get louder as the band returned to the stage a couple minutes later.
The night got truly special with the second act as guitarists Casey Foubert and Mark Watrous as well as keyboardist Patti King donned violins and Mercer picked up an acoustic guitar for a haunting version of “The Fear.”
They kept the feel with the airy “New Slang,” the song that brought The Shins fame after it was featured in the 2004 film “Garden State.” The band closed with fan favorite “Sleeping Lessons” and the crowd finally lost themselves in the music.
The slow build of the track built a lot of tension in the room, with people throughout screaming out and bobbing their heads in anticipation. When the track picks up the entire building had their hands in the air with a raucous applause only for the band to take it a step further and include a snippet of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” before finishing the set and taking a bow while the crowd’s applause shook the building.