• Koka Booth Amphitheatre is a cashless venue. 
• Children 2 and under are free on the lawn for this event and do not need a ticket. 
  • All ages will require a ticket when sitting in Reserved Areas. 

Taxes & Fees:

• Koka Booth Amphitheatre uses all-in pricing. The total price listed on the purchase page includes ticket fees, excluding any applicable taxes.
• When purchasing in person at the Box Office a 3% processing fee will be added to each order, plus tax. No other ticket fees will be applied. 

All dates, times, acts & ticket prices are subject to change without notice.

Koka Booth Amphitheatre has enhanced it's public safety policy to include a clear bag policy. 

Allowed:

• Bags 6"x 8" or smaller are permitted.
• Clear bag that does not exceed 12" x12" x 9".
• Medical and parenting bags. 

All bags are subject to search. 

With the 2014 formation of I’m With Her, singer/songwriters Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, and Sara Watkins introduced an essential new force into the world of folk music: a close-knit alliance of highly esteemed musicians, each graced with a deep understanding of folk tradition and unbridled passion for expanding its possibilities. Since delivering their critically lauded debut See You Around and standalone singles like “Call My Name” (winner of the 2020 Grammy for Best American Roots Song), the trio have routinely taken time out from their individual careers to dream up songs together—eventually arriving at a new album exploring themes of ancestry, lineage, and the collective human experience. On their long-awaited sophomore LP Wild and Clear and Blue, I’m With Her now bring their luminous harmonies to a soul-searching body of work about reaching into the past, navigating a chaotic present, and bravely moving forward into the unknown.

 

In a departure from the stripped-back intimacy of See You Around—a 2018 release that turned up on best-of-the-year lists from the likes of the New York Times—Wild and Clear and Blue centers on a far more elaborate sound informed by the trio’s intensified sense of musical kinship. All multi-Grammy-winners with deep roots in the folk scene, Watkins, Jarosz, and O’Donovan first discovered their near-telepathic chemistry during an impromptu performance at the 2014 Telluride Bluegrass Festival, then co-founded I’m With Her and began touring extensively and performing at acclaimed festivals across the globe.

 

Produced by Josh Kaufman—a member of Bonny Light Horseman and multi-instrumentalist/songwriter/arranger/producer who’s worked with Bob Weir and The National—Wild and Clear and Blue ultimately adds a bold new urgency to their delicate entangling of lived-in narrative, fable-like storytelling, and nuanced reflection on cycles of life.

Iron & Wine

Light Verse

Rel. Date April 26th, 2024

 

“All our dreamers lose to the light” - from “Angels Go Home”

 

When the pandemic began, and the world shut down, so did the process of creating for Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam. In its place was a domesticity that the singer hadn’t felt in a long time, and although it was filled with many rewards, making music was not one of them. Reflecting on that time, Beam notes:

 

“I feel blessed and grateful that I and most of my friends and family made it through the pandemic relatively unscathed compared to so many others, but it completely paralyzed the songwriter in me. While so many artists, fortunately, found inspiration in the chaos, I was the opposite and withered with the constant background noise of uncertainty and fear. The last thing I wanted to write about was COVID, and yet every moment I sat with my pen, it lingered around the edges and wouldn’t leave. I struggled to focus until I gave up, and this lasted for over two years.”

 

The journey back began with a recording session in Memphis to record a handful of Lori McKenna tracks for the EP Lori with friend and producer Matt Ross-Spang.

 

“Recording has always been my favorite, and that session was an attempt to reconnect with what I love most about making music. I could finally feel the blood coming back into the body and the creative muscles beginning to relax and move again.”

 

Soon a series of short tours were booked entitled “Back to Basics,” which, out of necessity, were solo acoustic shows in smaller venues. They had an unspoken weight to them for Beam and the audiences alike, and also an incredible sense of relief for finally sharing art together and being back to work! A larger tour with Andrew Bird followed in the summer of ’22, and Beam was inspired even more by the excitement of collaborating with Andrew and his band and the warmth of musical friends.

 

“By the time I got home, the paralysis had officially passed, and I was finishing lyrics and booking studio time for what would become Light Verse!”

 

As Beam began to assemble the musicians he wanted for his record, one common thread arose- they all lived in Los Angeles!  Outside of his own pedigree, the decision to work with engineer and mixer Dave Way at his studio Waystation high up in Laurel Canyon was a logical step based on recommendations from two of the joining players on the record. An additional session would also take place at Silent Zoo Studio, where a 24-piece orchestra would lay claim to a handful of songs, helping prepare them for lift-off.  

 

“I’ve met and played with so many talented musicians from Los Angeles over the years but never recorded there, and this felt like the perfect time to try. Tyler Chester plays all the keyboards, Sebastian Steinberg plays the bass, David Garza guitar and slide and stuff, Griffin Goldsmith, Beth Goodfellow, and Kyle Crane all play drums here and there, and Paul Cartwright plays many various sizes of violin and mandolin and wrote some wonderful string arrangements for the orchestra! Even Fiona Apple was kind and generous enough to lend us her voice (that miracle that sounds like both a sacrifice and a weapon at the same time) to a duet called “All In Good Time.”

 

Beam lyrically once again takes focus on a series of both fictional and personal insights, filled with desperate characters and wide-eyed optimists, offering promise and a dose of heartache, tears and laughter, life and love. Taking stock in the album’s title, he jokes, “Light verse is a form of poetry about playful themes that often uses nonsense and wordplay, and it’s my first official Iron & Wine comedy album!…. Just kidding….”

 

While true this may be Iron & Wine’s most playful record, Beam says the title mostly reflects the way the songs were born with joy after the heaviness and anxiety of the pandemic. Where recent records like Beast Epic or Weed Garden gave air to the disquiet of middle-aged frailty and brokenness, these songs trade that for the focus acceptance can bring. Moment by moment, they delight in being pointed or silly (or both) and attempt beauty over prettiness.

 

Light Verse arrives April 26th, and it’s Iron & Wine’s seventh full-length overall and fifth for Sub Pop Records. Fashioned as an album that should be taken as a whole, it sounds lovingly handmade and self-assured as a secret handshake. Track by track, its equal parts elegy, kaleidoscope, truth, and dare

Outside Food & Beverage are not allowed for this event.  You are allowed to bring one factory-sealed plastic bottle of water (1 per person). No glass/cans/flavored water. 

Our Concession stands will be open selling a variety of food and beverages. Check back later for menu offerings.   

Restaurant partners will be available to pre-order food and have ready upon your arrival. Check back later to see our Picnic in the Park partners. 

We pride ourselves on bringing a wide variety of events to Cary, NC. What our guests are allowed to bring into each event varies from event to event.   Please review the event page you are attending for specific information regarding that event. 

Guests can bring the following items to Concerts:

• Bags 6"x 8" or smaller are permitted.
• 12" x12" x 9" Clear bags only.
• Factory-sealed plastic bottles of water (1 per person). 
  • No glass/cans/flavored water.
• Empty reusable non-glass water bottle up to 1 Liter. 
  • Water Fill Stations located in the Cobblestone Courtyard.
• Camping Chair. No footrest, canopy, lounge chairs, tri-fold chairs, or swinging chairs. See examples. Please remove chair from bag at security checkpoint. 
• Rain Coats.
• Ponchos.
• Strollers (allowed on the lawn only).

All small clutches & clear bags are subject to search.

Prohibited items MUST be returned to guests’ vehicle before entering.  

Please leave the following items at home:  

• Alcohol
• Bags  (Unless clear & approved size)
• Backpacks
• Balloons, Banners & Signs
• Blankets, Towels, Mats of any kind including Yoga Mats
• Brochures/Stickers/Handouts
• Confetti/Glitter
• Coolers
• Drones
• Fireworks
• Food & Beverages
• Go Pros, Audio or video recorders
• Grills & Open Flames
• Hammocks
• Hula Hoops
• Illegal Drugs
• Laser Pointers
• (Select) Lawn Chairs: No Footrest, Canopy, Lounge, Tri-Fold or Swinging Chairs.
• Noise Makers
• Pets of any kind (excluding service animals)
• Professional cameras with detachable lenses
• Selfie Sticks
• Sporting Equipment
• Tables of any size
• Tablets of any kind
• Tarps & Plastic sheeting
• Tents/Staking
• Umbrellas of any size
• Wagons/Carts
• Weapons of Any Kind (Include but not limited to knives, guns, tasers, chains, mace, studded/spiked jewelry)

PREMIERE PARKING: A limited number of Premiere Parking will be available for $25.00 in advance or $30.00 on the day of the show, if spaces are available.

PREFERRED PARKING: A limited number of Preferred Parking will be available for $20.00 in advance or $25.00 on the day of the event, if spaces are available. Parking spaces will be held across from the Main gate. Pass entitles 1 car to park in the Preferred Parking section in the BACK of the Preferred Lot.

PURCHASE PREFERRED PARKING

• Parking passes may be purchased at the box office in person, by phone through Etix or online at etix.com.  

• Parking lots open 1 hour before venue gates open.
• Purchasing a Parking Pass is NOT a ticket for the event, and is not valid for entry into the event.
• Please present your Parking Pass upon arrival. 

GENERAL PARKING: Koka Booth Amphitheatre has approximately 1500 free spaces available.  Parking is free of charge in Amphitheatre-owned lots. Some local businesses may charge a fee for parking in their lots.

ACCESSIBLE PARKING: A limited number of accessible parking spaces are available on a first-come-first-served basis with the proper hang tag or license plate.

DROP OFF & PICK-UP AREA: If using a taxi, Uber, etc please follow the signs & our Parking Staff to the drop-off/pick-up area. Rideshare Address: 11000 Regency Parkway Cary, NC 27518

If using Taxi Service/ Uber / Lyft or dropping off a friend/family member; Koka Booth Amphitheatre has a DESIGNATED drop off & pick up area. For the safety of all patrons please follow the signs to this designated area when arriving at the venue. Please do not drop off or pick up in any other areas.