Earlier this week, I attended my first Iron & Wine concert at The Town Hall in Manhattan, NYC. Despite my demanding school schedule, I felt I needed to make time for this show, not only because I had never had the pleasure of seeing Iron & Wine live, but also because I needed a change in scenery.
I love Kutztown, and I chose it specifically because its small town feel reminded me of home, but sometimes, it’s too small. Sometimes, it can feel a bit suffocating. So, one of my best friends and I took the day to venture into Manhattan for a break, and it was the exact refresher that we both needed.
After arriving via metro, we took our time walking towards the venue. Once we affirmed the location of the venue, and scoped out a place to catch dinner later, we made our way to Bryant Park to waste some time before the show. We couldn’t stop rambling on, feeding off each other’s excitement, about how wonderful the city is this time of year. It was cold, but not too cold, and Bryant Park was already beautifully decorated with lights.
We walked around, did some shopping, and just generally let ourselves relax for seemingly the first time this semester. Both of us were struck with a sense of awakening. I have talked about moving to NYC since I was young, but walking around that night, I actually felt like I could do it. We both felt like, somehow, we belonged there.
After enjoying some happy-hour-cabernet with our dinner, we strolled over to the venue and sat down in The Town Hall’s red velvet seats. The show was incredible. Sam and his accompanying band put on a heartfelt, intimate performance and the acoustics in The Town Hall were unlike anything I had ever heard before. We left the show, and Manhattan, feeling revived and alive. Only one thought was resounding in my mind: I can’t wait to come back.
(The Town Hall show from the stage, photo courtesy of @ironandwinetour on Instagram)