The Shins Shake Up Millennial Nostalgia Trip by Bashing Through Their Classics: Concert Review
William Earl Generally (and generationally) speaking, middle age and nostalgia come to us all, sooner or later — even Millennial indie-rock fans. In 2022 alone, Wilco played a series of spring shows commemorating 20 years of their epic “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,” Peaches performed “The Teaches of Peaches” in full in a summer tour meant to (belatedly) celebrate two decades of the “Fuck the Pain Away” album, and Broken Social Scene is set to tour this fall to in honor of 20 years of their beloved sophomore outing “You Forgot it in People.” Add the Shins to that bunch, as they took to the stage at Radio City Music Hall on Aug. 23 to celebrate the 21st anniversary of their debut album “Oh, Inverted World.” Lead singer, rhythm guitarist and songwriter James Mercer is the only current member of the band who was actually around to record “World,” as he effectively fired the rest of the band in 2009 and has rotated different members in and out since. But Mercer’s current group — guitarist Mark Watrous, bassist Yuuki Matthews, keyboard player and multi-instrumentalist Patti King, and drummer Jon Sortland — is so energetic that even performing a well-worn record sounded not only fresh, but a bit daring.