I decided to drive to Madison, WI for the Iron & Wine concert partly because I enjoy his music. But this concert was special. The singer-songwriter partnered on this tour with Manual Cinema - a Chicago-based collective that produces puppetry and multimedia shows. I have seen two productions of Manual Cinema, and I love their work. Tuesday evening's partnership at the Orpheum Theatre seemed destined for success.
Colorado-based folk singer Jobi Riccio opened the show with an impressive set of songs, accompanying herself on guitar. Later, she would return to the stage to sing a duet with the headliner on "All in Good Time."
Iron & Wine (his real name is Samuel Ervin Beam) drew on the ten studio albums he has released over the last two decades for this evening's performance. But he sniffed into the microphone and announced that there was "a smell of new songs in the air" as he sang selections from his 2024 release "Light Verse" and a few tunes written in the past year. He opened with his sentimental song "Carousel." A screen behind the band showed silhouettes of dancers circling one another. Manual Cinema created this projection with cutouts and projectors to accompany the music and lyrics of the performer.
Manual Cinema's projected silhouettes complimented about half of the songs. At times, they provided a literal interpretation of the music, as when they showed the audience blades of grass on "Teeth in the Grass" or displayed a boat on a blue field during "On the Sea." At other times, abstract shapes moved across the screen to capture the music's emotion rather than the lyrics' meaning. Their best addition came on "Call It Dreaming" when one of the puppeteers stood in front of the light to project her silhouette on screen. The other puppeteer added mini cars and other items to turn the woman's shoulders into a landscape as Iron & Wine performed "Call It Dreaming."
I&W displayed a corny sense of humor throughout the night. When someone shouted a compliment, he replied, "Thank you, Mom," at least three times. Forty minutes into the show, he joked that the show was over, telling the audience, "Thanks for coming. I hope to see you next time." It was silly, but it was fun.
After his duet with Riccio, he dismissed his band (keyboards, drums/percussion, violin, and bass) and performed "Bitter Truth" and "Autumn Town Leaves" alone on stage with his voice and guitar.
I loved my first experience seeing Iron & Wine live. I loved even more that he invited Manual Cinema to enhance his music.