Photos: The Shins, Monday Night at Terminal 5 (Show #2)

The Shins' Monday night show at New York's Terminal 5 may not have sold out in advance (as did the first and third concerts), but there was no shortage of fans or energy at the gig. James Mercer brought his revamped lineup back for a second night, playing a setlist similar to that of the previous night (see the Village Voice review of that show for details).

The Shins: Jessica Dobson, Yuuki Matthews, Joe Plummer, and James Mercer. (Not in photo: Richard Swift.)

Mercer has been around long enough to know the sound he wants, on record and on stage, and the current Shins roster is full of talent: singer-songwriter Richard Swift on keyboards, Jessica Dobson (who has worked with Beck and others) on guitar, Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse on drums, and Yuuki Matthews of Crystal Skulls on bass.

As with Sunday night's Terminal 5 shows, the group got harmony vocals from Amber Coffman and Haley Dekle of Dirty Projectors. (The Shins have had several different very capable backup singers on this year's tour, including The Watson Twins during their set at the first weekend of Coachella.)

Naturally the band's latest album, "Port of Morrow,"got the most exposure during the show, but the set also featured favorites including "Kissing the Lipless" (the concert's opening number), "Young Pilgrims" (which Mercer performed solo acoustic to begin the encore), "Caring is Creepy" and "New Slang" (both from the "Garden State" soundtrack), and "Phantom Limb" from The Shins'  previous album, "Wincing The Night Away."(Here is a Shins setlist from last night that claims to be complete but with the songs out of order.)

Since I've never seen The Shins in concert before I have nothing to compare Monday's show with, but it was a solid performance that had the crowd into it throughout. The band delivered a tight performance that in many cases had more of a rocking edge to it than the original studio versions of the songs, which was fine by me.

Though some fans of The Shins might be disappointed by the absence of some of the old members, it's hard to argue with Mercer's current lineup.

James Mercer.

Matthews, Mercer, and Swift.

Jessica Dobson with Amber Coffman and Haley Dekle in back.

Free Album Streaming: New CDs from The Shins, Yukon Blonde, Lost in the Trees, & More

Following up on their "Saturday Night Live" performance and webcast from an NYC club, The Shins are back with their new album "Port of Morrow" (out today) and you can now hear it streaming online at Spinner.com below. (You can also stream the album at The Shins' website.)



The Shins also performed a live concert on David Letterman tonight (which I just found out now); it's being rebroadcast at 10 p.m. Tuesday and may be archived for later viewing).

Other albums streaming this week include new collections by Lost in the Trees, Yukon Blonde, and Margot and the Nuclear So & So's, as well as a solo album from Daniel Rossen from Grizzly Bear. There's also an album by McEuen Sessions, a project featuring John McEuen, a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and his two sons.

And if you're interested in something besides traditional rock, you can listen to "Amazonico Gravitante" by Argentinian Mati Zundel, who blends electronica and dance beats with Latin wind instrumentation and other traditional sounds.

Also in a different vein is "Radio Music Society," the new album from Esperanza Spalding, the young songwriter and bass player who was the surprise of the 2011 Grammys when she won for Best New Artist.

NPR First Listen:
"Amazonico Gravitante" by Mati Zundel
"Radio Music Society" by Esperanza Spalding

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Port of Morrow" by The Shins
"Rot Gut Domestic" by Margot and the Nuclear So & So's
"Silent Hour/Golden Mile" by Daniel Rossen
"Tiger Talk" by Yukon Blonde
"On Market Street" by Penelope Houston
"A Church that Fits Our Needs" by Lost in the Trees

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Safe in Your Arms EP" by Cory Lamb
"Beautiful Alien" by Atom Smash
"For All the Good" by McEuen Sessions

Concert Notes: Fiona Apple at SXSW (Video), SXSW Podcasts, The Shins & More On Sale

Fiona Apple performs "Anything We Want" last night in this fan-filmed video. 

There's lots of current concert news, and not all of it's related to South by Southwest. In fact, there are a number of interesting concerts coming up in the New York area that are going on sale tomorrow. Here's what's up:

* If you missed last night's late concerts from Stubb's at SXSW on NPR Music, they're up now for streaming or podcast download. See these links for sets Sharon Van Etten, Dan Deacon, Alabama Shakes, and Andrew Bird.

* Fiona Apple's return to the stage had people talking, and you can see videos of two new songs by her ("Every Single Night" and "Anything We Want") at the Village Voice's wrap-up of Day 1 at SXSW.

As for those NYC-area concerts (all of which go on sale tomorrow, March 16th, at 12 Noon, except for the first show):

* Chip Taylor, writer of "Wild Thing" and "Angel of the Morning," is having a record-release show March 22nd at Hill Country for his new album, "F*ck All the Perfect People." Tickets are on sale now.

* Fresh off their appearance on "Saturday Night Live," The Shins are on the road and will play three nights at New York's Terminal 5, April 29th and 30th, and May 1st.

* Like The Shins, Garbage is making a return from a number of years off with a new album and tour. Garbage plays Webster Hall on May 22nd.

* Another returning act, That Dog, has added a second show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on May 25th. The original show on the 24th is sold out.

* Beach House plays a SummerStage benefit concert on June 23rd.

* Bonnie Raitt plays the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, NJ (with Mavis Staples) on June 19th.

* Jonathan Richman plays two shows at Bowery Ballroom, June 12th and 13th.

Sat. Afternoon Videos: Springsteen Plays the Apollo, Watch The Shins Webcast Replay, & More

Since many of us were frantically clicking around on the web this morning trying to get Radiohead tickets, let's wind down by watching videos of some musical performances that made the news this week. One of the most notable (and the most recent) of these was last night's show at the famed Apollo Theater by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. (See a video excerpt of "We Take Care of Our Own" and "Wrecking Ball" below.)



The concert was to mark the 10th anniversary of SiriusXM radio; see the writeup by Spinner's Dan Reilly for a review, setlist, and another video in addition to the one above. Sounds like it was a fantastic show, based on the comments by Reilly and others who either attended or listened to the concert.

The Shins returned from a five-year absence with a free concert webcast on NPR Music last Thursday night that was streamed only through the organization's iPad app. The show, at New York's Le Poisson Rouge, is now available for viewing online; you can also listen to the audio only. You can watch or listen to the Shins' concert here. Incidentally, The Shins will be the musical guests on "Saturday Night Live" tonight, and Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jessie Baylin will be part of the band.

Bradford Cox, leader of Atlas Sound (and Deerhunter), got very literal last week with a heckler who demanded to hear "My Sharona": he played a jam based on the song for a full hour (see two excerpts below).





The incident, at an Atlas Sound show in Minneapolis last Friday, was only one odd aspect of the concert, which saw Cox asked the heckler to come onstage and take his clothes off, ans instructing audience members to hold their venue's chair above their heads. Some attendees, including the person who shot the video, called the "My Sharona" cover "awesome" and "fantastic."

Finally, Sarah McLachlan performed a set before a few hundred people at CBC Vancouver as part of the network's "Toque Sessions." She then left the stage to a choir of musicians from the Sarah McLachlan School of Music, which reportedly moved into a new home in Vancouver recently. Watch the video for "Possession" below, and see more videos from the concert at CBC Music.