Scenes from “An Evening with Shovels and Rope” include: A baby’s carriage in front of a tour bus adjacent line that wrapped around the block; the look of confusion from fans as they pile in to find this general admission show to be completely seated; and Carrie Ann Hearst and Michael Trent taking the stage in pink velour matching dress and suit.
Shovels & Rope does what they want.
This artistic liberty was palpable in the sold-out Boulder Theater. The dynamic duo (excuse the Cliché) switch instruments nearly every song and display their jack-of-all-trades style that can make a simple four-count drum beat feel improvised and new as Carrie Ann hits the ride with a rumba shaker. This may be no surprise to many, but this tour seems to be a strong signal that Shovels and Rope are going to be here for a while. This intimate show featured songs that they don’t often play, a few new tracks, and some classics reimagined, “Because we don’t remember how to play a lot of our songs” joked Colorado native Michael. Standouts include a cover of Jump Little Children’s “Mexico”, a new arrangement of “Evil”, a debut “Come on Utah!”, and a “2017 year-end review” titled “Great, America” that exhibits a political side of the down-home duo that we rarely hear. This song is available for download and all proceeds go to veterans dealing with the challenges of brain trauma via Intrepid Fallen Heroes.
This tour is running through the summer. If you have a chance to catch a show it comes highly suggested.
