14 years is a long time to wait for anything. It's especially long when you’re waiting for a second album. The successful 2005 collaboration between Calexico and Iron & Wine followed great albums from both individual bands, and ran parallel to an incredible international tour. Another something, anything, was expected from this collaborative effort an era ago. Calexico and Iron & Wine’s Years to Burn (2019) tour stop at Union Transfer on Sep. 20 showed us why we waited.
The doors opened at 7 p.m., and pleasant conversations between fans that had already planted themselves in front of the stage curbed the boredom. While both bands drew attention, there was a main focus to this conversation. “Weren’t you at Keswick in November?" referencing Iron & Wine’s concert of last year. “Yeah great show,” was the reply. Other dialogue went similarly. “How many times have you seen them?" followed by, “Six in Philadelphia, first time was in Manhattan, no, in Hell’s Kitchen.” Above all, the love for Sam Beam—the sole member of Iron & Wine—and his live performance stemmed from two factors: his beard, and how a frequenter of his concerts put it: “He does things so amazingly live that if he released any live vinyl every show could be, like, a new album, and I’d be more broke than I am now."
In glimmering blue light, Natalie Prass and her pianist came on stage and opened quietly with the beautifully sung “Far From You,” her musical response to the classic Carpenters' song, "Close to You." Although beautiful, it felt slow. The energy wasn’t there. Yet.
Prass exchanged small talk with the crowd, and dropped a couple electric bass notes before starting “The Fire.” The crowd reacted with energy. Prass followed with acoustic piano and songs like "Bird of Prey" and fan–favorite, "Short Court Style". Union Transfer seemed like a world of its own, and the light dashes of electronic bass was all that reminded us of modernity in music outside of the venue.
Standing up for a second time, Prass told us of her music, and how she hadn’t felt ready to bring past dark relationships into her work until recently. Halfway through her set, Prass introduced some unreleased music, and the audience felt privileged to be the guinea pig for these new tracks. Of her unreleased titles, “Talk Too Much” and her last song, “Angel,” were greeted with loud and supportive applause. No one wanted to let go after 45 minutes.
Between sets, conversations picked back up. The murmuring grew, and the bright flashes of orange and violet brought attention centerstage, where Sam Beam casually walked on with his signature glass of red wine—an interesting choice of vocal lubricant. Latecomers had filtered in, and the static energy spread through the sweat–filled audience as fans shouted “I LOVE YOU SAM BEAM,” “GIVE ME YOUR BEARD,” and the light chant of “SAM BEAM,” for those not quite ready to make declarations of love.
The people wanted Beam.
Mirroring Prass' set, we were teased until the third song, when the opening notes of “Father Mountain” caused a rampage. In that moment, the vivid lights pulled up, and the crowd shifted to stage–left; where Beam stood with his guitar. This was the most Beam–dominated moment of the night, and it was the only time where it felt like Calexico was backing. Bowing out, playing with his back to the audience, Joey Burns faced drummer and Calexico member John Convertino on drums, respecting Beam’s moment.
Both bands have released various albums and matured since the legendary In the Reins (2005), with Calexico bringing instrumental variation and sensibility in tracks such as “Outside El Paso." Sam Beam from Iron & Wine’s newer abstract compositional style is definitely present, as evident in Our Endless Numbered Days (2004) and its contrast to the modern Beast Epic (2017).
Thankfully, Sam Beam no longer feels like the independent focus he was in the 2005 collaboration. Beam obviously dominated “Father Mountain,” while Calexico brought back old favorites like "Flores Y Tamales" in their traditional Arizona–inspired style. Although the majority of the music was collaborative work, allowing the bands to play their own hits with each other revealed a great dynamic between them. Years to Burn shined live when the two presented in tandem.
Calexico showed new skills across instruments, but mainstays Convertino and Burns played incredibly strongly on drums and guitar respectively. The big three—Beam, Convertino, and Burns—played off each other's strengths as a trinity of musical prowess. Technically perfect, the dynamic lighting fit each part of the set perfectly, reflecting both the mood and stories presented. Not only did Iron & Wine and Calexico hold the audience's attention, their 80–minute set managed to alter their moods and thoughts as well.
This collaboration showed us why patience is valuable. This tour showed us why we waited. From Prass’ appetizer to Calexico and Iron & Wine, we witnessed new level of maturity from all performers, and there was finally an explanation for the time passed. Sure, fan’s taste can change. The musicians of fourteen years ago had steeped and fermented, and the maturity it had gained is what got new and old fans to show up, grab a drink, sway around, and escape the modern world for a while.
