[DID NOT ATTEND: August 26, 2026] The Shins / Joseph
The Shins last played Philly in 2017. I would have really liked to see this show, the 21st birthday for Oh, Inverted World, but I already had tickets to see Peter Hook tonight.
[Writing this years later: If I had realized that The Shins wouldn’t return to Philly until 2026 and in that instance, as an opener, I would have tried to get here for sure).
I do love The Shins first few albums and of course their debut, but sometimes other things come up first.
We saw Joseph in 2018 in Sellersville. They were great but I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to see them again. However, it would have been enjoyable to see them open for The Shins.
Here’s some blurbs about the show from WXPN
But first, sisters Natalie, Allison and Meegantook the stage. The band, Joseph, explained that their name was in honor of their late grandfather. From the audience you could feel that closeness the sisters shared. This rang especially true in Joseph’s unwavering and beautifully-toned harmonies that carried through each of their songs.
James Mercer was quick to assure the crowd that they would, in fact, be playing every song from Oh, Inverted World as he stood center stage with the band and the cover art for the album backdrop behind him. Several times he’d announce which number track The Shins were on cheekily. After welcoming Joseph back to the stage to do backup vocals a few songs in, Mercer looked at the crowd and announced “song 3” (aka “Weird Divide”) in a Terry Gross-esque tone.
The album as a whole is a “short one,” so The Shins’ went cherry picking crowd favorites from later albums as well. “Australia” and “Sleeping Lessons”off Wincing The Night Away made the cut, seemingly releasing a ball of energy or anticipation that the crowd had been holding onto. “Simple Sound” of Port of Morrow shared similar explosive energy. There were also more somber moments like during “The Fear” off Heartworms.
The Shins seemed to loosen up and goof around after the album was played and the set entered the fruit salad portion. Emanating chaotic good energy Mercer started to sing “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” by Rod Stewart and the band followed suit. It seemed the band was expecting this random cover, they just didn’t know when.
Sounds really fun.
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