BUFFALO HUNT/SHAKEY GRAVES
Buffalo Hunt/Shakey Graves, Sherman Theater, Stroudsburg, PA. 12/13/24.
Nestled in the Pocono Mountains, Shakey Graves rocked a packed house at The Sherman Theater on a cold, balmy December evening in Stroudsburg, PA. Attendees could be seen lined up outside the box office window, huddled in small groups, bracing against the biting winter wind before the show. The tall street trees of this quaint downtown Main Street in Northeastern, PA were lined from trunk to tip in bright Christmas lights, looking like a scene from a Hallmark holiday movie. Fans excitedly checked their coats, eager to dance with the Austin, Texas artist, who was joined by his wife and partner-in-crime, aka Buffalo Hunt, on this leg of the tour.
The two artists were married in 2023 and welcomed their first child earlier this year. This show did not feel like a typical indie rock concert, as the duo shared the stage at times, went solo with the band, and regrouped at various points of the evening. Their fun, playful, and easygoing spirit was evident throughout, feeling more like a show being performed in front of a group of friends rather than an audience of strangers. At one point during the show, Buffalo Hunt could be seen working the stage with a human-scale lobster claw, which showed surprising dexterity holding her microphone. In addition to playing songs from across his catalogue, including classics such as “Roll the Bones,” “Built to Roam,” Shakey also brought out the crowd favorites (“Dearly Departed,” “Counting Sheep”).
Armed with his suitcase-turned-traveling-percussion-instrument, Shakey gave the crowd a taste of his busking roots, performing a few solo tracks without the backing band. Complete with rear-facing kickdrum pedals, he had a way of captivating the crowd in his ability to keep time and rhythm, performing as lead singer, lead guitarist, and percussionist all at the same time. The audience not only had the joy of singing along to Shakey favorites, but also to the surprise covers sprinkled throughout the evening, including “Where is My Mind,” the Backstreet Boys’ “As Long as You Love Me,” and, embodying their inner Dolly and Kenny, as Shakey and Buffalo duetted “Islands in the Stream.”
Shot and Written by Jesse Buggey.
