blitzen trapper + iron & wine

Last night I headed to the Phoenix to watch Blitzen Trapper and Sam Beam's Iron & Wine ensemble perform. My girlfriend and I headed down shortly after 9:15pm only to catch two closing songs by the opening band. Constant with similar southern blues rock revival bands My Morning Jacket, Band of Horses, etc. Blitzen Trapper's youth and slight pop appeal differentiate them in a positive way. They had an early Spoon-ish quality to their sound and from the brief encounter prior to a set change I was enjoying it. Two quick beers may have had something to do with it.
Sam Beam and sister Sarah started Iron & Wine's set with an acoustic set of perfectly melded harmonies and a soft touch on guitar strings with Sarah's violin punctuating the delicate silence between chords. Transitioning into an full on set, Iron & Wine essentially jammed out for the rest of the night, stopping only briefly to humor local fans who anticipated each new song from the very first guitar chord. The only thing missing from this show was Paul Niehaus of Calexico, who collaborated on The Sheppard's Dog and joined the band on stage at Chicago's Lollapalooza. Calexico has an upcoming show later this month so I was hopeful but Beam's backing band carried a full sound with keyboards, accordion and wandering funky bass lines.
All in all it was a great performance. A slightly down tempo reggae version of House By the Sea was a highlight, along with the many seamless transitions between old and new songs.
Here's some live footage of a recent tour date in Vancouver @ the Commodore Room by Iron & Wine.