Live Review: Iron & Wine and Amythyst Kiah at The Bellwether

On Saturday, June 29th, the Bellwether hosted special guests Iron & Wine and Amythyst Kiah.

Feeling out the stage, Amythyst Kiah began a soft, acoustic set with her songs “Empire of Love” and “Hangover Blues” from her Wary + Strange album. With a message of excitement and great appreciation, Kiah thanked the audience for their unbreaking attention and took the time to explain some of the stories behind songs like “Hangover Blues,” stating that it is a reflection of the early stages of a party phase she had in years past.

Significantly, Kiah made a point of the Appalachian influences she pulled from in her songwriting, which are most evident in her rendition of her unreleased song “Gods Under the Mountain.” The song plays into a larger picture of Appalachian folklore. From the fine-tuned fingerpicking to the lovecraftian lyricism, Kiah presents an interesting twist to her direction in music.

Additionally, Kiah covered “In The Pines” and “Darling Corey” — two delightful performances to pay homage to her home-state Tennessee.

Closing out with “Black Myself,” Kiah reflected on the process of songwriting from the perspective of blackness, from the enslaved, black Americans post-emancipation, and her own self. The story of this song was beautifully portrayed in a similar eloquence to a Toni Morrison novel.

Once Iron & Wine, A.K.A. Sam Beam, took the stage, it was obvious that the audience was in for an intricate and detailed show. The stage was decorated with lanterns reminiscent of someone’s grandma’s porch on a southern summer night.

Initially, Beam began his set with “On Your Wings” from his Our Endless Numbered Days album. Addressing that he would be playing old songs and new, he transitioned into “Anyone’s Game” off his latest album, Light Verse, and “All In Good Time” which was accompanied by Amythyst Kiah in a charming duet.

When playing songs off of Light Verse, there was also a live shadow puppet show, performed by Lizi Breit and Julia Miller. The concept was pitched by Beam himself, but brought to life by the Manual Cinema team, producing outstanding visuals while touring alongside Iron & Wine. It was a unique addition to the show that was fun to watch on the screen or even observe as the performers manipulated the puppets with an overhead projector on stage.

Beam managed to cover ground from his latest album like “Yellow Jacket” and “Sweet Talk,” while also touching on some of his older work like “Autumn Town Leaves” from his Weed Garden EP and even “Walking Far From Home” from the Kiss Each Other Clean album. Even in his encore performance, Beam performed “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” from The Shepherd’s Dog, sending the audience back to his mid-2000’s sound that simply does not get old.

Between each song, the pride and joy Beam feels for his projects was evident. The care and attention to detail was present in his selection of instrumentation on stage, where he brought out fiddles, drums and upright bass. Though the stage was packed with instrumentalists, the sound was soothing and well orchestrated.

All in all, Iron & Wine and Amythyst Kiah worked together to produce an outstanding performance where they were able to show off their own lyrical, vocal and instrumental abilities as singer-songwriters. It was evident that audience members felt extremely lucky to be present, listening to the music.

Set Lists:

Amythyst Kiah

1. Empire of Love
2. Hangover Blues
3. Gods Under the Mountain
4. In the Pines (cover)
5. Darling Corey (cover)
6. Black Myself

Iron & Wine:

1. On Your Wings
2. Caught in the Briars
3. Cutting It Close
4. Anyone’s Game
5. All in Good Time (with Amythyst Kiah)
6. Walking Far From Home
7. Autumn Town Leaves
8. Stranger Lay Beside Me
9. Yellow Jacket
10. Valentine
11. Angels Go Home
12. Upward Over The Mountain
13. Bitter Truth
14. Tree by the River
15. Lean Into the Light
16. Call It Dreaming
17. Singers and the Endless Song
18. Sweet Talk
19. Promising Light
    Encore:
20. You Never Know
21. Flightless Bird, American Mouth