After a little time off The Shins to focus on other projects, James Mercer made a return to the band that made him famous last night, with his all-new lineup’s first live performance at Wow Hall in Eugene, Oregon. It’s not yet clear whether the band played any new material as no reviews have surfaced saying so, and no videos have been posted either. A quick search did reveal this gem though: The Shins covering David Bowie’s classic “Ashes to Ashes.” There are two recordings of the song, both of which are posted below. The top version misses the beginning but has superior sound a video quality (and the majority of the song), the inferior (but still listenable and watchable) video below has the full performance.

The Shins continue their short tour tonight in Bend, Oregon. Full dates below.

08/09/11 – Bend, OR – The Domino Room
08/10/11 – Portland – The Doug Fir Lounge
08/12/11 – San Francisco, CA – Outside Lands Festival
09/22/11 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre
09/23/11 – Philadelphia, PA – Popped! Festival
09/24/11 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
10/15/11 – Pensacola, FL – DeLuna Festival