Iron & Wine: Hen’s Teeth Tour Comes to Dallas, TX

Some shows go straight on the calendar, and Iron & Wine’s highly anticipated Hen’s Teeth tour was one of them. Announced months ahead, Sam Beam and his band’s October 24 stop at Dallas’s Majestic Theatre gave fans plenty of time to look forward to Saturday night. After I discovered Iron & Wine from the Twilight Soundtrack (yeah, I know but hear me out!), I ran to hear more of his work. Falling in love with “Boy With a Coin,” I spent an entire day learning how to play it on my guitar. Naturally, that track did not make the cut on the setlist but that is okay. There is a particular pleasure in hearing songs you have lived with for years played live, especially when there is newer music to get to know, too.

DUG, the opening duo from Dublin, Ireland, accompanied by two fiddle players, made sense on this bill. Lorkin O’Reilly and Jonny Pickett brought Irish folk and American old-time music together without making the combination feel dated. Their songs put storytelling first and the duo are excellent melody-builders. The Dallas set included “Big Sundown,” “Have at It!” and “Jubilee.” After “Jubilee,” the band took a few minutes to engage the crowd in a game of DUG Quiz, during which, audience members would shout their answers, and the lucky winners won t-shirts and a “DUG STUD” (a piece of wood signed by the band). They also kept the crowd in tune during “Promoter Man” by having everyone yell “boo” during the chorus as the song was meant for an unsavory lot of humans in the promotion side of the industry.

DUG Gallery.

Iron & Wine is one of those seasoned touring artists that make performances look incredibly easy. His stage presence was a commanding aplomb and his vocals were breathtaking. There is just something about his soft demeanor and cheeky wit that keeps one’s attention perfectly for an hour and a half. Of course, his knack for gorgeous melodies, excellent story-telling lyrics and his tremendous band help, too!

While this tour is in celebration of Iron & Wine’s latest studio album, “Hen’s Teeth,” they gave the delighted crowd plenty to enjoy, mixing “Passing Afternoon” and “Love and Some Verses” with “Paper and Stone” and “In Your Ocean.” “House by the Sea” and “Call It Dreaming” were welcome additions, too. Between songs, enthusiastic audience members would shout things like “yeehaw,” and Beam would banter a little with them. That’s the fun of a set like this: an old favorite turns up, then another song reminds you there’s more to his catalog than your usual rotation. “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” closed the encore, a lovely choice to end on.

The Hen’s Teeth Tour is in its home stretch now as it wraps in South Carolina this week. If you know what’s good for you, grab some headphones and turn on Iron & Wine’s “Hen’s Teeth (Deluxe Edition) and get into some fresh folk. It’s impossible to have a bad time listening to Sam Beam – trust. Also, do yourself a favor and stream “The Shepherd’s Dog” for some divine classics. It is just a matter of time before Iron & Wine are back on the road so be on the lookout for more dates in the future!

Iron & Wine Gallery.

PHOTO CREDIT: All photos by Jess Fagan for ZRockR Magazine – ©2026 All Rights Reserved