Fried after a long day and an even longer night, intrepid Patchchord contributor Derek Martin braved the weather and the Kansas Turnpike to turn in this photo report of the Shins first show of their two-night stand at Liberty Hall. At the end of the evening, it took him another two hours to get home through the snow. That's dedication, boys and girls.

Commentary has been promised to follow, as soon as he thaws himself out and gets a few hours of sleep. Until then, this collection of photos should keep you satiated. -- John Kreicbergs

UPDATE: commentary posted!

Some bands don't fuck around. Making this completely clear, opening band Viva Voce began the evening at Liberty Hall singing ever-so-delicately a chorus of, "We do not fuck around!" After an evening filled with two bands, 800 or so people, three and a half hours of music, and a two hour drive home, I can certaintly tell you this: these bands don't fuck around.

Last night as the snow began to pile up outside, the indie kids and hipsters were pilgrimaging to Lawrence for the first of the Shins' two night run. The air was thick with anticipation, more so than for a usual weeknight show. I showed up about five minutes after the doors opened and was met with a five to ten minute wait just to get inside the place. The theatre was practically full by the time opening act took the stage.

I hadn't heard Viva Voce before last night except for the fact that they had an album called Get Yr Blood Sucked Out. And while I knew nothing of what to expect musically, an album title like that had me interested. It turns out that Viva Voce is a mix of Death Cab for Cutie, Mates of State and the White Stripes. We were treated to an hour's worth of drums, harmonica, theramin, and a hot lead guitar player, Anita Robinson. As entertaning as the band was however, everyone in the crowd was so set on seeing the Shins, leaving most people just casually bobbing their head. A good opener, but that's about it.

After a half hour or so setbreak, the lights dimmed again and the opening notes to the Shins' "Sleeping Lessons" began to flood the theatre. The crowd shrieked with excitement as the band took the stage and kept grooving on those opening notes for a few minutes. Finally they hit the "harder" part and dived right in.

Much to my surprise, the guy next to me dived on up and started crowd surfing. While I'm not the biggest Shins fan on the block, I didn't expect to see that. In fact, I didn't expect the mini- mosh pit that broke out on one side of the stage. Perhaps I just associate the Shins with laid back grooves that you can relax too, but the energy level they brought really surprised me.

Weaving through a set featuring almost every song I'd entered the night wanting to hear -- including "Phantom Limb," "Kissing the Lipless," "High Horse," "New Slang," and "So Says I" -- I kept waiting to get let down. That moment never came.

The Shins played a show filled with colorful melodies, blissful and almost psychedelic grooves, and tweaked out rock; most important though, it was a show filled with energy. Even during the softer songs like "New Slang" the crowd was completely spellbound. The Shins could do no wrong.

Throughout the week I'd hear rustling that the Shins couldn't bring it live, that they were a "studio band," but they put those rumors to rest. It was only night one and they completely brought the heat. I can't imgaine what's in store for night two.

In their final act of showmanship, the last song they treated us to was "Caring is Creepy," from their first album Oh, Inverted World! but better known for its appearance in Garden State. The crowd simply erupted, and I found myself jettisoned into the mosh pit. After the show and a two hour drive home, I found myself fried from a long day and an energy filled night. Yet I was completely content. The Shins have always been a band that can bring a smile to my face, and after last night I'm sure there were a lot of smiling faces. For those of you lucky enough to have a ticket to night two, get ready. Nobody's gonna fuck around.

-- Derek Martin (email)

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