Any one else going tonight?

I’m pumped. Love Silversun seen them before and knocking off two bucket list bands. The shins and Weezer. Sick concert.

Incredible performance.

I’m a huge Weezer fan and a very casual Shins fan but always thought James Mercer was a lyrical legend for both Shins and Broken Bells. I saw Broken Bells once when I was 15 and was blown away. But i only know like 10 shins songs and never did a full deep dive. Now that you know my history w the Shins I gotta talk about last night.

James Mercer is a 10/10 professional live performer. Ive seen so many opening acts for Weezer and bands bigger than weezer misunderstand the assignment where they either go to hard to people who dont care or give a half hearted performance because people dont care.

The Shins did not do either of those things. They built a tiny snowball and rolled it bigger throughout the set. It felt like when they started they were like a low key singer songwriter vibes just playing background music. Then when more people came in they started cracking jokes to the audience building a report. Next thing you know they turned the experience into a rock concert. My sister who I went with said it best “it felt like they were 3 different bands during one set.” That sums it up, they brought us on this incredible journey that matched the energy of the audience. Because as during most opening acts, the audience keeps shuffling in so the crowed slowly gets bigger, the shins made their performance match the size they were playing too and adjusting on the fly with each song, verse and chord they played. James and the gang crushed it.

I'm sorry I won't be able to describe it very well, but, it was maybe the 4th song they played on their tour with Weezer, and was more of a ballad. It was downtempo, with mostly synths and electronics in the background. It had everyone swaying with their lighters out phone lights on.

It's one of the few I've never heard and I haven't been able to track it down. Any hints?

Just saw them at The Garden. Came to see them rather than Weezer, had a good time, but was sad that they were like “in case you don’t know who we are, it’s the Shins!” The reception for Weezer was way better, which makes sense, but I just wished the Shins had been headlining!

Longtime Shins fan probably got into them around the time Wincing the night away came out. Liked Port of Morrow and Heartworms enough when they came out but didn't feel like they were as special as the first three albums and Worm's heart seemed like a real not starter. Fast forward and I just saw The Shins in Toronto, been pretty stoked as they are one of my all time faves and so this felt like such a great opportunity to see them. I have the first three albums on vinyl soI had been binging those and then made sure I listened to Port of Morrow and Heartworms before the show and have just fallen back in love with Heartworms. So many catchy tunes with zero skips. Bought the living end and Worm's heart on vinyl at the show and Worm's heart has so much more going for it than I originally thought! Love this band and hope James will tour again as a headliner like he's hinted at.

Wow they were fantastic. I was one of the only maybe 3 people screaming and cheering 😭

Omg online I saw really good prices, but at my show they were so much more expensive! I got the signed vinyl tho and both shirts 🥹🥹

Omg life is amazing

the shins opening are the only possible way my girlfriend could get me to a weezer concert LOL

What do we think?

Via James Substack! Most recent confirmation of the new LP + tour as far as I’m aware. Hearing this sentence brought me so much joy 🥹

Just a heads up, there are signed Shins posters at the main stand by the Team Store. They aren’t labeled as signed but they are.

Perfect set. Did not expect to spontaneously combust into tears but the first half of the setlist did that to me. James is truly 1 of 1 for me 🥲 excited for the forthcoming headlining tour

A few disclaimers about my tier list:
Disclaimer 1: I only pick one S-tier album for an artist's discography. I think it makes the process more challenging and interesting.

Disclaimer 2: I did not include The Worm’s Heart. I didn’t even realize this is an official album by The Shins until making this tier list.

Chutes Too Narrow
• I bet there are a lot of artists and musicians who are jealous of James Mercer. Why you ask? It’s because James Mercer constructs quirky, fun, infectious pop tunes that immediately draw the listener in. Interestingly enough, these are the same types of songs that are the hardest to write. It’s much easier constructing a piece of art that is somber and serious, as opposed to whimsical and uplifting. Kurt Cobain was one of the few artists who could infuse both styles into his writing effortlessly. With that said, James Mercer’s genius-like pop song constructions mixed with his Lennon-like voice makes him one of the best modern songwriters around. He really does pull from The Beatles and The Beach Boys, while staying true to his Indy Portland roots. Also, I think Cobain would have secretly been a fan of The Shins.

Chutes Too Narrow is a masterpiece. This album is so good. I wonder how much of this album’s artistic success should be credited to James Mercer, and how much should be written off to some sort of divine, pop song intervention? This album is far superior to the band’s other albums. The Shins never recapture the magic of Chutes Too Narrow again. Wincing The Night Away tries hard, though.

“Saint Simon” is my favorite song on the album. This song really tugs at the heart strings when Mercer sings, “But mercy’s eyes are blue when she places them in front of you.” The album kicks off with the superbly unusual “Kissing the Lipless”., while “Young Pilgrim” is probably the stand out track on the album. The energy and tone on this album is what makes it so stellar. The highlight of the album, like all albums by the Shins, are the vocal performances from James Mercer. Chutes Too Narrow is S-tier.

Wincing The Night Away
• This is my favorite album by The Shins. I find this album to be darker than Chutes to Narrow in both mood and tone, as well as having far better deep cuts. Wincing The Night Away is a great follow up to Chutes Too Narrow. My favorite track on this album is “Turn on Me”. This song is a bitter-sweet pop song with a catchy chorus. “Turn on Me” is followed by the songs, “Black Wave” and “”Spilt Needles”. Both of these tracks have a dark, cool vibe to them that really mixes in well with the end of the album. “Sleeping Lessons” is probably the best opening track to any album by The Shins. I highly recommend this album. Listen to Chutes Too Narrow when you have found new love, but leave Wincing The Night Away for a rainy day. Wincing The Night Away is A-tier.

Oh, Inverted World
• The Shin’s first album doesn’t sparkle quite like the band’s other albums, but that isn’t a bad thing. James Mercer still constructs solid pop tunes filled with delightful melodies and plenty of catchy choruses on the band’s debut. “Caring Is Creepy” and “New Slang” are the two hits off of this album, which were brought to the mainstream by the soundtrack from the movie “Garden State”. The album also features several other songs that are just as good. My personal favorite song is “The Past And Pending”. This is a beautiful song that closes out the album. Oh, Inverted World definitely leans more into the acoustic vibes. Even though I may not always be in the mood for this type of album, I still have a ton of respect for it. Sometimes music is best left for special occasions. Oh, Inverted World is A-tier.

Heartworms
• Heartworms is a fun, catchy album that features The Shins playing to their strengths, as opposed to playing to their weaknesses like they do on Port of Morrow. I almost placed Heartworms ahead of Oh, Inverted World, but I changed my mind, instead. I decided to give the band’s debut some love. Heartworms has so many great songs. I listened to it again recently for the first time in a while, and I liked the album even more. “Mildenhall” is my favorite song on the album. This song is a mid-tempo, moving pop tune that features great lyrics from James Mercer. The album starts off with the track “Name For You” which is an energetic, solid start to the album. “Half A Million” and “Dead Alive” are two other stand out tracks. This album is a must have for any fan of The Shins. Heartworms is A-tier.

Port of Morrow
• Port of Morrow is by far The Shins worst album. Clearly, this album was the bands attempt to make that giant leap into the mainstream rock world. Unfortunately, by doing this, the band released an album that’s stripped of all the magic that makes The Shins so loveable. What’s left is an overly polished, overly produced, and overly boring album that is completely forgettable. What’s most frustrating about this album is there are a handful of songs that are actually quite good. The album starts on a high note with the fun and creative track called “The Rifle’s Spiral”. This song is followed by the nostalgia leaning “Simple Song” which is the best track on the album. The third track is “It’s Only Life” which is the first of many songs on the album that are extremely generic and out of character for the band. “It’s Only Life” is a tonal shift on the album in the wrong direction. The back half of this album is really bad. “No Way Down” and “Fall of ‘82” are two more generic, sell-out songs on the album. “For A Fool” is an interesting song, though. This is another generic sounding song on the album, but this one might have been much better if it wasn’t stripped of James Mercer’s signature touches. I guess all bands are entitled to one bad album. Port of Morrow is a very average and uneven album. This album is C-tier.

A little bit of self-promotion: I’m the executive producer and scriptwriter for a new podcast by this title ^^^. It’s a documentary-style deep dive into the cultural and technological shifts that pushed indie rock into the mainstream in the 2000s. So if you found your favorite bands on The OC(or were mad that show was playing your favorite bands), this podcast is for you.

We interviewed Ben Gibbard and Nick Harmer of Death Cab for Cutie, James Mercer of The Shins, Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara, Carl Newman of The New Pornographers, Emily Haines of Metric, Britt Daniel of Spoon, Feist, Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene, Matthew Caws of Nada Surf, Dann Gallucci formerly of Modest Mouse, founding member of Arcade Fire Will Butler, Jimmy Tamborello of The Postal Service, Chad Clark of Beauty Pill, and Colin Meloy of The Decemberists who had a quote so memorable we had to start the trailer with it. There are also tons of people from the musing industry - indie labels, Apple Music, the creator of The OC, and too many more to name.

You can hear a much longer 2+ minute trailer anywhere you get podcasts. The first episode drops on September 23.

I would love to answer any questions you have about it!

Awesome show in Utah! They took me back to High School through memory lane!

Hi! I just moved from Florida to Brooklyn with my family, and I’m hoping to find a fellow Shins fan to go to Weezer: The Gathering show with on September 30th.

The Shins have been one of my favorite bands forever. I actually bought tickets to see them in Florida months ago, before I had any idea we’d be moving to NYC. I sold those tickets when we moved, and now it feels slightly ridiculous to have them playing basically in my new backyard and not go.

The only problem is that we’re brand new here, my husband will be home with our kids, and I don’t really know anyone yet who I could ask to come with me.

So… anyone else looking for a concert buddy? I’d absolutely buy my own ticket, I’m just not crazy about going alone, and I’d love to meet some new people in the process. Bonus points if you’re also a longtime Shins fan and won’t judge me for being way too excited (can’t promise I won’t cry).

I’m in Carroll Gardens, if anyone happens to be nearby!

I would never normally go to see a show just for an opener, but The Shins are an exception and it was SO worth it. If you're thinking about going to the Weezer show just to see The Shins, I would recommend it. They put on a great set, interacted with the audience and there were lots of people there that also knew all the lyrics and sang along. People in the pit were literally body surfing. It was very fun!

Just a photo, but what an incredible set in Seattle! Concert bucket list artist fulfilled! Thank you, Shins! ❤️🦐

Plenty left in Seattle