For those who love going to shows, sometimes the sheer volume of opportunities can present a problem, but having the chance to see two of your favorites in one night is a can’t miss event. Austin, Texas legends Spoon have embarked on a tour with New Zealand indie rockers The Beths in one of those tours that will go down in the book of You Had To Be There tours. And in Charm City we were fortunate for both bands to grace Nevermore Hall on a beautiful Wednesday night as the neighboring Inner Harbor got ready for the 250th Anniversary Independence Day events. You really couldn’t ask for a better evening.

I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly this show at Nevermore sold out, but I knew as soon as it was announced that it would be a packed house. Speaking of surprises, kicking things off was Chicago-based Squirrel Flower, the stage moniker of Ella O’Connor Williams, whose moving solo set made more than a few new fans.

I’ve wanted to see The Beths for a while now, and when they hit the stage all that waiting felt more than worth it. The quartet sounded incredibly tight with brilliant harmonies between Elizabeth Stokes (vocals/guitar), Jonathan Pearce (guitar/vocals), and Benjamin Sinclair (bass/vocals) with the steady hand of Tristan Deck (drums) laying the foundation.

I came to The Beths’ party late, having first hearing their third full-length release, Expert In a Dying Field and the song of the same name. They then outdid themselves with the great follow-up, Straight Line Was a Lie last year.

Much of The Beths’ set was, understandably, from the recent album with songs like the indie rock rhythmic groove of “Straight Line Was a Lie” and the hit single, “Metal.” Sometimes a performance is so good I find myself running home to put a band’s record on just to hear those songs again, and this Beths set was one of those performances.

Next up on this veritable music festival was Spoon which I had seen before, but this show seemed to put those memories to shame as Britt Daniel (vocals/guitar), Jim Eno (drums), Alex Fischel (keyboards, guitar), Gerardo Larios (guitar/keys), and Ben Troken (bass, keyboards) took the stage to the very bluesy sounds of the old Bill Doggett number “Honkey Tonk Pt. I.”

From the opening “Jonathon Fisk” it was on as Fischel and Eno on one side banged away and Troken and Larios held court on the other with Daniel’s signature gravelly voice and yellow Fender telecaster front and center.

Spoon is one of those bands I’ve seen where – unlike so many other acts – I know the song coming on after the first note or two and what followed was, to my ears, like a greatest hits – “I Turn My Camera On,” “The Way We Get By,” “Who Makes Your Money,” “The Rent I Pay” – quite literally the hits kept coming.

Slowing things down just a tad, Brett Daniel performed a solo acoustic “Me and the Bean,” one of the earliest songs of the night from the band’s album Girls Can Tell before Fischel joined him for the David Bowie song “I Can’t Give Everything Away.” A song from Bowie’s last album, Blackstar, I always felt it was the legend’s most haunting numbers with that dissonant lead into the chorus.

Spoon, returning to the stage for the encore, played the fantastic “Underdog” and “Trouble Comes Running” – a brilliant cap to an unforgettable evening.

Spoon and The Beths wrap up their co-headlining tour this week while Spoon hit The National in Virginia July 6th and The Beths return to the area for All Things Go in September.

The setlist for Spoon included:

Jonathon Fisk
The Hardest Cut
I Turn My Camera On
My Mathematical Mind
The Way We Get By
Lose Control
Who Makes Your Money
Rent I Pay
Me and the Bean
I Can’t Give Everything Away (David Bowie cover)
I Summon You
Inside Out
Wild
You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
Take a Walk

Encore:
The Underdog
Trouble Comes Running

While the setlist for The Beths included:

Straight Line Was a Lie
No Joy
Out of Sight
Roundabout
Future Me Hates Me
Knees Deep
I’m Not Getting Excited
Metal
Til My Heart Stops
Little Death
Idea/Intent
Expert in a Dying Field

Check out more photos of Spoon rocking a sold-out show at Nevermore Hall on June 24, 2026. All photos are copyright David LaMason:

And check out more photos of The Beths with an amazing set at Nevermore Hall:

And take a look at photos of opener, Squirrel Flower at Nevermore Hall: