Nickel Creek 9/25/2005

Chris Thile, Sara Watkins, and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek are thriving touring veterans. Before their most recent concert at The Pageant in St. Louis, this was squarely on my mind—how much success these “kids” have had in such a small amount of time. If my math is correct, this marked their sixth trip to St Louis over the last 4 years (they have welcomingly graduated from the smoky Mississippi Nights to the friendly and clean confines of The Pageant). What’s even more surprising—and delightful, for that matter—is that their audience keeps growing with each trip, meaning either one of two things: 1) There was nothing else to do in St Louis but go see a young bluegrass band in their prime while the Astros, and not the Cardinals, were playing in the World Series; or 2) This is a unique band, one that has faith in “word-of-mouth” advertising and never takes a show off. And after another thrilling performance, I choose to believe the latter.

Opening with “When in Rome,” which also kicks off their new album, Why Should The Fire Die?, Thile, the Watkins siblings, and longtime touring partner Mark Schatz looked comfortable and full of energy in front of a packed house. The initial impression they leave their audience with is undeniable—that they create such a full sound without the use of any kind of percussion. They hit you straight up with a fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and upright bass, with each second passing as if they know it’s working, that they don’t need any more racket to make you realize that this is who they are—and that it is good enough to keep you coming back.

The unarguable leader of Nickel Creek, Chris Thile, is most responsible for creating this sound, mostly with his mandolin playing talents. But he also makes you feel each note with his habit for moving around the stage and jerking his body as he plucks his mandolin, as if he is preaching without uttering a word or blasting an amp---showing his audience that this is meant to be naturally explosive. It’s true that sometimes he exerts too much energy, occasionally overpowering Sara Watkins' voice while trying to harmonize, but Thile’s real feelings are always known—that he 100% into the show, and it’s hard to find fault in that.

What also keeps a Nickel Creek show fresh is the way they mix up their set lists from night to night. Sure, it was a given that they would feature their new album, but they still found time for “When You Come Back Down” and “Out of the Woods,” two of their best songs from their first album. And of course, they had fun with a few covers, most notably toying with selections from Radiohead and Britney Spears--did I mention that this a unique band? Enjoy them while you can.

Photos courtesy of Adam Brimer at nickelcreek.com.