For the Friday night on Carnival weekend, the CFA lawn was transformed into a concert venue as Carnegie Mellon played host to The Shins of "Garden State" fame. Originating in 1997 from Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Shins' focused and crafted sound earned them their ticket to fame when two of their songs, "Caring is Creepy" and "New Slang," were selected for the soundtrack of the movie "Garden State," starring Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, and Ian Holm. The "Garden State" soundtrack won this past year's Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album. The concert was organized by the Carnegie Mellon Activities Board and funded through the Student Activities Fee.

The act began with The Shins' opening act, The Brunettes, who did a marvelous job of warming up the audience prior to The Shins' arrival. While critics of The Shins may question the commercialization of their once-unique indie-rock style of music, their complaints were largely absent from the excited crowd gathered at the CFA Lawn. Bodies were packed like sardines, especially towards the front of the stage. The audience was visibly impatient during the intermission between the opening act and The Shins' arrival, cheering and waving their arms energetically. Upon their arrival, lead singer James Mercer and the rest of The Shins were greeted wildly by the audience. The group proceeded to wow the crowds with a repertoire of songs taken from their two albums "Oh, Inverted World" and "Chutes Too Narrow."

This is the first time The Shins have performed in Pittsburgh, but judging from the audience's response, it certainly may not be their last. As the music died down and the crowds dispersed, everyone left jubilant. Everyone except the grass of the CFA lawn.

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The Brunettes open for The Shins to a large crowd on the CFA Lawn.	Ryan, The Brunettes drummer, puts non-stop energy into both playing and singing back-up during their set.
Jonathan on leader guitar and vocals for The Brunettes sings passionately during the concert.	The Brunettes leader guitarist Jonathan and bassist James played a killer warm-up set before The Shins took to the stage on the CFA Lawn.
The audience waited in eager anticipation for The Shins to take the stage and play an amazing set right on our own CFA Lawn.	Dave Hernandez of The Shins plays a mean bass guitar during their concert on the CFA Lawn.
Leader singer and guitarist James Mercer of The Shins played an exciting set for many local Pittsburgh fans of the band.	The Shins drummer Jessie Sandoval plays with the lights of the University Center in the background.
The Shins play for an excited crowd on the CFA lawn.	A member of the audience crowd-surfs his way towards the front of the stage.
Lead singer James Mercer belts out a tune while drummer Jessie Sandoval sets the beat for the rest of the band.	A member of the audience tries to capture a photo of the Brunettes performing on stage.
The Shins perform to a largely appreciative audience at the CFA lawn.	The Shins perform on the stage at the CFA lawn facing the twin landmarks of Oakland: Hamerschlag Hall and the Cathedral of Learning.

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