I’m not cool—especially when it comes to music. It’s not that I’m not open to new sounds; it’s just that I’m stuck in the nostalgia of my favorite artists. So, when I had the opportunity to attend a taping of the PBS show Live from the Artist’s Den featuring Iron and Wine in Atlanta, I jumped at the chance to expand my musical knowledge.
On November 10, I headed to Atlanta's historic Buckhead Theatre. This beautiful and historic venue hosted an unforgettable, marathon performance by Iron and Wine.
Frontman Sam Beam delivered a two-hour, 24-song set for the invitation-only audience of 500. The eleven-piece band played virtually all of Iron and Wine's most recent album, Kiss Each Other Clean, plus favorites like "Naked as We Came" and "Boy with a Coin," before Beam closed the remarkable night with a luminous solo version of the brand-new "Flightless Bird, American Mouth," from the Twilight: Breaking Dawn soundtrack.
I was excited to get photos of Iron and Wine performing to share with all of you, but of course flash photography is a HUGE no-no when filming. I tried to surreptitiously snap a photo, but without the flash it was just a black hole. So I decided to memorize the band playing and draw it from memory. Here’s my depiction of the concert:
I was excited to get photos of Iron and Wine performing to share with all of you, but of course flash photography is a HUGE no-no when filming. I tried to surreptitiously snap a photo, but without the flash it was just a black hole. So I decided to memorize the band playing and draw it from memory. Here’s my depiction of the concert:
Luckily for all of you, we received higher-quality images from the wonderful people at The Artist’s Den, so here’s what the concert actually looked like. (Editor's note: Due to photo size contraints on Nuts, we're providing one photo of the full width of the stage, and two slightly larger versions of the left and right sides that were cropped separately.) Although I think my sketch came pretty close. However, apparently I imagined the French horn and red curtains—in my mind all stages should have red velvet curtains.
Check out www.artistsden.com/ironandwine for more pictures and information about both The Artist’s Den and Iron and Wine. And, be sure the tune to PBS for the new season of The Artist’s Den beginning this winter. Featuring such acts as Adele; The Fray; and, of course, Iron and Wine—you certainly don’t want to miss a moment of any of the shows. And I promise you’ll feel much cooler just for watching—I did!