Iron and Wine dazzles in the HUB

While everyone else in town was out pregaming parties, going on hayrides, or waiting in line at the Phyrst, an intimate crowd around 1,000 people sat in awe as Sam Beam, more famously known as Iron & Wine, played a solo acoustic set in Alumni Hall.

The concert, put on by SPA Late Night, was one of the most anticipated late night concerts of the year. At 9 o’clock, the line of indie looking, hipster dressed fans was already curving around the top floor of the HUB and down the flight of stairs. So many more people came than expected, that the SPA staff had to set up more chairs in Alumni Hall and have people stand in the back during the set.

Many in the audience expected a very quiet set from a man who comes off as very reserved from the stoic poster that was plastered all over campus last week, but that proved not to be the case. From the minute he stepped on to the stage, Sam Beam captivated the entire audience. “You guys have a beautiful campus. It’s bigger than most states I’ve lived in,” said the wonderfully bearded Beam at the opening of the show. The entire night he was making jokes, and having a conversation with the crowd. “It felt like you were in his living room,” said freshman Hannah Kelly. “He is a down to earth funny guy.”

Iron & Wine opened his set by asking the audience what they wanted to hear, a trend that he stuck with for most of the show and surprised people in the crowd. The 9 and a half minute “The Trapeze Swinger” was haunting and beautiful as Beam’s voice sang each melody and note perfectly as if the record recording was playing through the speakers.

The night continued on from there, with the crowd sitting in complete silence during every song, in awe of the sounds coming from Beam’s guitar and voice. The songs of Iron & Wine are very wordy and filled with religious motifs, references to nature, and the trials and tribulations of life.

His songs are so wordy, that he even forgot the lyrics to his song “Rabbit Will Run”. He had to start the song over three times before he got it right, with the Penn State crowd encouraging him the entire way and giving him a huge ovation when the lyrics stuck. “It made me realize how complex his songs are,” said sophomore Paul Kane. “There is no repetition, no verse is the same.”

All night, Beam complemented the crowd and was astonished by their attentiveness and energy. You could hear a pin drop during each song, but when it ended, there was a raucous of applause. During the fan favorite “Boy with a Coin”, the crowd began stamping their feet to the beat of the music, much to the surprise of Beam on stage, but he smiled and went along with it.

Iron & Wine even debuted a new song, “Backwater Bird”. “I’ve never played this in front of people before,” said Beam. It was given the stamp of approval by the fans, and the artist seems to have another hit on the way.

The night ended with his most famous song, a cover of Death Cab for Cuties “Such Great Heights”. The moment the opening notes were strummed out on the guitar the crowd roared and then quickly hushed so they could hear the last few moments of the incredible set. “I thought he was going to get up there and be very serious and focus on his songs, but he really made an effort to connect with the audience,” said Kane when reflecting on the concert.

Perhaps sophomore Alex Garip summed up the night best. “Sam Beam is a very soulful man with a very soulful beard.”