Red Shahan Plays One Hell of a Show
DES MOINES, IA:
I’ve seen a few shows in the past in Iowa’s capital city that still really stand out today. Not only do they stand out because of how great the music was, but also because of the tiny turnouts. Back in 2017 me and four friends watched Tyler Childers perform to a crowd of 20 people (including us) and a now closed down venue called Vaudeville Mews. Not more than a couple of months later I saw Colter Wall play a show to around 30 fans at Wooly’s in Des Moines. Last night I got to see Red Shahan at the same venue play to yet another small crowd. I would estimate there was 30 folks in there to start and that gradually increased to maybe 40 by the time the set was over.
My point is not that Des Moines has shitty fans. The point I’m making is that in all three of those shows I watched artists far from their home, in a location where their fan base is still minimal, play some of the best shows I have seen. I know what you’re thinking, “Mike, you can’t put Red Shahan in the same ballpark as Tyler Childers and Colter Wall”. Well, no I can’t, but what I can do is put him in the same ball park as 2017 Tyler Childers and Colter Wall. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.
Red Shahan sings “303” at Wooly’s in Des Moines, IA
I don’t know if this happens to anyone else, but I get a sinking feeling in my stomach walking into a venue before a show and seeing few amounts of people there. Especially when it is an artist I’m stoked to see. I constantly wish that there were more folks in my area amped up to see Red Shahan perform, but at the end of the day there wasn’t… At least not yet.
I would also like to point out a second factor working against an artist that is trying to get the crowd into the performance. The venue had covered the entire dance floor in tables and chairs. I don’t think this was COVID related because people were free to sit wherever they want and even get up and dance around wherever they could squeak through the tables. The only purpose they really served were to allow the concert goers to sit down as soon as they got there and be complacent with not getting up. It was obvious Red did not want the show to play out that way.
Red Shahan is a very special kind of artist because he can go from an acoustic style, singer songwriter to a full on rock band in a flip of a switch. He took most of the night playing his heavier music in what appeared to be an attempt to get the people off their seats. For some, it worked! I’m not entirely speculating that was the reasoning for his choice of songs. At one point, after finishing the title track off his latest album, “Javelina”, Red looked out to the crowd and asked if their butts are blistering from bouncing in their chairs so much. He also later encouraged the crowd to, “treat it like a Friday night and pretend there’s no work tomorrow”. Somewhere in that line was a plea to take some shots and have a party with him. Did it work? Not entirely. Did that stop Red Shahan from melting the faces off at 30 people in attendance? Absolutely not.
Red’s set had a bit of everything. Powerhouse vocals that he didn’t hold back on one bit, a killer 5 piece band, heartfelt sad country songs, a mix of soul, blues and rock, and the perfect amount of comedic relief between songs. (Also some drunk asshole who thought all of those comments and jokes were to him and felt the need to yell back to every single one). This was my first time seeing Red and it certainly won’t be my last. There’s only so much I can praise in a write-up about the performance but my best advice is to go and see for yourself. Small shows are fun, but its a hell of a lot more fun when you get a great crowd in there digging the tunes just as much as the guy or gal next to them.
So, where can you catch a show?
I’d first like to mention the two shows I’ll be attending at the Show Boat Saloon in the Wisconsin Dells, and Wildwood Saloon in Iowa City. Those are on August 20th and October 2nd (w/ Colter Wall & Summer Dean) respectively.
Tour Link: https://www.redshahan.com/tour
Finally, I will leave you with a few other shots I got from the night
