Twentysomethings, for once, didn't have to worry about bumping into their parents Monday night at the Fox Theatre.
Austin-based Iron and Wine played a nearly sold-out show at the Fox, a theater that hosted dino-rockers Lindsey Buckingham, Stephen Stills and Gordon Lightfoot this year.
Turns out the Fox was the perfect setting for the subdued, gorgeous tunes from Iron and Wine's singer, guitarist and braintrust, Sam Beam, framed by the beautiful Southwestern Art Deco proscenium with its purple, teal, gold and maroon.
At around 9:20 p.m., after a set from psych-rockers Califone, Beam appeared with his seven-piece band to play "Cinder And Smoke" from 2004's "Our Endless Numbered Days."
For most of the roughly 90-minute show, Beam favored an electric guitar.
Fans who caught Iron and Wine at Solar Culture several years ago know that Beam used to favor an acoustic axe with a tiny backing band.
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Times have changed.
A fuller, richer sound has developed from the Iron and Wine camp since 2002's "The Creek Drank the Cradle."
The added layers in the music seem to correlate with the thickness of Beam's formidable beard, now about as long as his below-the-shoulders brown hair.
The bulk of Monday's set came from "The Shepherd's Dog," Iron and Wine's third full-length album. Released in September, it expands the band's sound even further.
An accordion was onstage Monday night, along with a stand-up bass, pedal steel guitar, piano, organ, violin, xylophone, bongos and, for the encore, Tucson crooner Salvador Duran.
Duran came out for a stripped-down version of "He Lays in the Reins," the first track off the 2005 EP "In the Reins," a collaboration with local boys Calexico.
Dressed all in dusty denim, Duran sang with fervor before replicating the record's horse-trotting noises.
Calexico's Paul Niehaus played pedal steel guitar during the show, but many were hoping more members of the famed Tucson act would be on hand for the "In the Reins" material.
Beam asked Calexico to join him, he joked, but they declined because they "never play Tucson."
Just as well; Beam and company enchanted the crowd, who were mostly ages 20 to 40.
Beam's soft, smoky voice and compositions hugged the walls of the Fox, as warming as hot, whiskey-laced apple cider on the chilly November evening.
For most of the concert, the crowd sat in silence, absorbing the delicate ballads and transfixed by the large video screen behind the group, which at times mimicked the daily cycle of the sun, from morning to dusk to night.
Of particular note was a stunning late-set rendition of "Resurrection Fern" from "Shepherd's Dog," and a light moment with Beam's sister and backing vocalist, Sarah Beam, after a flubbed first verse of the title track from the 2005 EP "Woman King."
Still, the night's biggest star may have been the Fox, a historic theater that halted its attempts to reel in older folks Downtown and served those who are already there. At least for a night.
Iron and Wine in concert Monday night, with Califone opening, at the Fox Theatre, Downtown.
