Shine performs first of their two 2021 Breckenridge concerts at National Theatre
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
Last weekend, the band Shine performed a concert in Breckenridge as the National Theatre hosted its first public concert since closing last year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Marlys Coursey plays the fiddle and sings in Shine. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The quartet took the stage right at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 10, opening with “Blue Skies,” featuring vocals by Marlys Coursey, who also plays the fiddle and occasionally the guitar. (For more pictures from the concert, click here for the Breckenridge Texan’s Photo Gallery.)
Coursey was joined on stage by Dave Ratliff, who plays the guitar and provides most of the commentary throughout the show, as well as brothers Glenn Mitchell on mandolin, and Jeff Mitchell on bass. The band was here for a concert in 2019, but both of their scheduled 2020 concerts were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The concert was the official debut of the National Theatre’s new lighting system. Bo Asher, president of board for Friends of Historic Breckenridge, the nonprofit organization that owns and operates the theater, worked with the band that afternoon to make sure the lights were adjusted correctly for their concert.
When Shine was first formed a few years ago, they focused mostly on bluegrass music. But, they have expanded their repertoire to include songs of many genres, including country, blues, jazz, rock and more.
“We kind of do what we like, and we hope you like it, too,” Jeff Mitchell said during the concert. The Mitchells grew up going to bluegrass festivals in Texas and Oklahoma. Their family hosted a bluegrass festival at their RV park in Perrin for many years.
Brothers Glenn and Jeff Mitchell grew up attending bluegrass festivals in Texas and Oklahoma. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Some of the music Shine played at their recent Breckenridge concert included Fats Waller’s “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,” George Strait’s “Ace in the Hole,” “Keep on Working and Shine On” by Uncle Walt’s Band, The Eagles’ “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” and more. In many instances, they played non-traditional arrangements of well-known songs.
After wrapping up the show with “It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got that Swing,” the band got a standing ovation and came back for an encore, offering “Sitting on Top of the World.”
One thing that comes across during a Shine concert is the friendly, playful relationships between the members of the band. There’s some banter, but it’s really the looks exchanged among the musicians that hint at their camaraderie. If you’re sitting close enough to see their expressions, you can’t help but notice how a nod turns into a smile and then a grin; you almost expect them to break out with a case of the giggles at times.
But, although they obviously have a good time on the stage, Shine is a professional band, so there’s no giggling, at least not at the National Theatre. They just like to have a toe-tapping good time, along with the audience.
Ratliff said Shine will be back in Breckenridge on Dec. 11 for a Christmas concert. That was one of the concerts canceled last year.
Dave Ratliff, right, provides much of the commentary throughout the Shine concert. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: The band Shine, that performed in Breckenridge in 2019, provided the first concert in the National Theatre since COVID-19 restrictions closed the venue last year. The band is scheduled to return for a Christmas concert in December. To see more pictures from the concert, click here for the Breckenridge Texan’s Photo Gallery. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
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