March 9 – The sun does not shine through the majestic stained glass windows of the Ryman Auditorium anymore now that the frame of a giant skyscraping phallus has been erected on the right side of country music’s mother church, blotting out the sun. Since the aesthetics police won’t be arresting the phallus’s owners any time soon that forced indie-rock darlings The Shins to make like Spartans and play in the shade – only with stage lights.
After being named dropped like Death Cab for Cutie in an O.C. episode in Zach Braff’s 2004 indie-hit Garden State, The Shins have seen their popularity significantly boosted among indie and mainstream crowds alike. Riding the wave of sudden interest in The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow rose to No. 86 in the Billboard Top 200. After an extensive tour schedule, The Shins went into the studio to record their follow-up in 2006. The band’s label, indie-giant Sub-pop, threw their full support behind The Shins and it paid off, with Wincing the Night Away shooting all the way to No. 2 on the Billboard charts.
Touring in support of their third and most highly anticipated album Wincing the Night Away, The Shins returned to Nashville before a sold-out crowd – much larger than the one at the Cannery when they were in Nashville last. Droning synthesizer crept up on the dimly lit stage of the former Grand Ole Opry as The Shins eased into the evening with the opener from their new disc, “Sleeping Lessons.” The Shins then ran through Wincing the Night Away’s next three tracks in succession as they appear on the record – giving the crowd a taste of the live dynamics of the new songs.
“The Ryman Auditorium – don’t think we don’t know,” keyboardist/bassist/guitarist Martin Crandall said, giving a nod to the rich musical history of the Ryman before leading the crowd into a clapping intro of “Kissing the Lipless” from 2003’s Chutes Too Narrow. By far “Kissing the Lipless” received the biggest reaction of the night from the cheerful Nashville crowd and The Shins looked and sounded more comfortable playing the low-fi hit than the tracks from the glossy, production-laden Wincing the Night Away.
Sinking deeper into their playbook with the help of Anita Robinson, from opening act Viva Voce, with “New Slang,” the song that changed Natalie Portman’s life, The Shins finally found a groove and began to shake off what looked to be a case of the infamous Ryman jitters. “This is kind of incredible. We’re all freaking out up here,” Crandall said.
Playing through their 18-song set, The Shins at times seemed anxious and unsure of themselves – but overcame their fright with a fantastic performance of mostly pleasantly performed new material from Wincing the Night Away and new takes on older low-fi favorites.

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