The Milk Carton Kids – November 14th – The Bluebird Theater

When The Milk Carton Kids rolled into Denver last week it was like the old days, there was no band in tow, no big venue to navigate, just Joey and Kenneth, their guitars and a single microphone. It was a stripped down, intimate affair that had sold-out well in advance and, for those of us lucky enough to make it inside, it was a very special evening of music.

Their new record, The Only Ones, harkens back to their early days together and appropriately enough they dubbed this fall’s run of shows “A Night with the Milk Carton Kids in Very Small Venues at Very Low Ticket Prices Tour.” Tickets for the tiny Bluebird were only $14 and more than a half hour before doors there was a line of eager fans down the block.

Joey and Kenneth took the stage in their customary suits just a few minutes past 8pm and it wasn’t long before we were lost in their magic as they worked the stage with acute professionalism and essentially mixed themselves as they drifted closer and then farther from the single mic to highlight a particular couplet or guitar riff.

Early highlights included “The Ash & Clay” and “Broken Headlight” from The Ash and Clay and Retrospect respectively and at the first the break in the action the band’s trademark humor was on full display and we all got a good belly laugh in before the duo shared the tender (albeit tongue-in-cheek) “Charlie” with us.

As the set moved on, the pair dazzled with not only masterfully written lyrics and tight harmonies, but stellar guitar playing. Midway through the show, Joey introduced “The Only Ones” by saying they were going to allow themselves a “folk music flourish” as they came up to the lip of the stage to perform the song without any amplification at all. The room was nearly silent – and as respectful as I’ve seen any rock club in Denver in quite some time – as the audience hung on every word. The set wrapped up with “I Meant Every Word I Said” from The Only Ones, “There By Your Side,” and finally “Permanent,” the first track from their very first album released back in 2011.

After a brief break, Joey and Kenneth returned for a three song encore that opened with “Snake Eyes” before they left the stage and brought their guitars to the middle of the room where they performed one song bathed in the light of 30 or so cell phones. It was an intimate moment that set the stage for the show closing “Michigan” that was performed from the stage. The Milk Carton Kids proved yet again that they are brilliant in just about any form they choose to take. I, for one, can’t wait for the next time they grace us with their presence here in Denver.