Saw The Shins last night in Charleston, SC at The Plex. What a shit venue. It’s an old movie theater that has been converted into a swamp of heat and smoke with no incline backing away from the stage. And parking was a total nightmare clusterfuck. Not the band’s fault, of course, and all was forgiven once openers Vetiver left the stage. I’m sure they sound much better on headphones, but live it was about as exciting as watching mushrooms grow. The Shins, however, were much more animated by comparison. In fact, the band rocked out a good bit harder than you might have expected from a bunch of twee darlings. Strangely, the climax of the show was the band’s stunning and faithful cover of Pink Floyd’s “Breathe.” I tried to find the mp3 but had to settle for a youtube clip from The Shins’ show at the Greek Theater in L.A. last week. It is amazing.