Why Shane Smith & the Saints aren’t on more people’s radar I will never know. I’ve been a fervent fan ever since Medicine Stone 2016 when they blew me away in about 8.6 seconds with their a cappella opening to “The Mountain.” It was the first time I’d attended Medicine Stone, the first band I heard on the main stage, and the first I’d ever heard of Shane Smith & the Saints. It seemed the crowd went silent at the start of “The Mountain” to hear the chilling four-part harmonies. Then all at once, the fiddle broke out, and the song shifted into high gear, and my cousin, sitting next to me, broke the spell that we’d all been under by saying simply, “Wow.” I’ve been waiting for a day when I could attend and discuss a Saints live show ever since then, and it finally came Saturday (4/21) at Tower Theatre in Oklahoma City.

This is now the third time I’ve seen them live, and still I am amazed at how they open a show. Honestly, the only time I’ve seen that much energy from a band live is with Turnpike Troubadours, if this tells you anything. This time, their opener was simply a couple minutes of high-spirited fiddle music which eventually dissolved into “The Mountain.” This was a very cool way to lead into things, as one of their biggest strengths is Bennett Brown on fiddle. Again, the only time I’ve been impressed by fiddle playing quite on this level has to be with Turnpike. It’s because while the fiddle for the Saints is at times melodic, like on “New Orleans” or “Quite Like You,” it’s also used for rhythm, similar to the way Turnpike and Old crow Medicine Show use it. You’ll see that on tracks like “Geronimo” and “Feather in the Wind.” And then “All I See is You” arrives, and the fiddle is used for both, going from sweet and melodic in the beginning to just taking over and coming alive later in the song. You can find all that on a Shane Smith record, but some of that magic simply can’t be explained outside a live setting.

The same can be said for their four-part harmonies–you can hear this on a Saints release, but until you’ve actually witnessed this live, been blown away by their version of Band of Heathens’ “Hurricane” or heard the opening of “Geronimo,” you can’t fully appreciate it. Four-part harmony is perhaps their greatest strength, the thing that sets them apart and makes them unique in Texas country and beyond. It’s really not something seen in all of music that much anymore, and crowds recognize the rarity of it when they hear it. More than that, Shane Smith & the Saints recognize the advantage, and make that harmony an integral part of their songwriting.

Fans of this band will be happy to hear they’re recording new music. We were treated to several new selections, including one that’s yet unnamed, “Heaven Knows,” displaying that harmony in all its glory, and one for our town called “Oklahoma City.” This is one time where I’m really glad I don’t actually review these concerts per se, because I am free to be ridiculously biased about my love for this. This was written in honor of what Shane Smith calls their first fan base outside of Texas, people who would actually come out night after night to their shows. It was Oklahoma City, and they wrote a song about our city and the people that believed in them from the beginning. Obviously, that went over very well with us.

These little pieces are always meant to highlight the importance of live music and what makes it special rather than to be analytical concert reviews. Right now, as I type this, I’m listening to a Shane Smith record because I’ve been down that particular rabbit hole all day. But I can say that the Saints are proof of why we have to go out and take in live music and support these artists–because you just can’t get the same experience on this album. The fiddle can only run so free, and you can’t enjoy it breaking free and taking over everything right along with the crowd. It’s the people dancing to the music because it makes them feel something and stopping their conversations to hear the harmonies that make this a special experience. Even more, a song like “Oklahoma city” moved me because we were all together in that moment, all Oklahomans, all part of the fan base that Shane Smith meant when he said they wrote this song for us. It wouldn’t have been the same on an album. I realize that one is a personal and rare experience, but the point is, there are things you just can’t recreate on a record, and the magic in a Saints live show is one of them. Very glad to have been able to include them in this 2018 concert series.

Shane Smith & the Saints are:
Shane Smith, Bennett Brown, Tim Allen, Chase Satterwhite, Zach Stover

Best Live Songs: “The Mountain,” “Hurricane,” “New Orleans,” “Geronimo,” “Oklahoma City”