Mat Kearney returns to the Vilar with a new album and a trio

Nearly three years after his last Beaver Creek show, the songwriter brings the Acoustic Trio Tour back to the Vilar on Saturday, Jan. 23.

The last time Mat Kearney played the valley was March 1, 2024, at the Vilar Performing Arts Center. He's coming back to the same room in the middle of next ski season, with a new album behind him.

Mat Kearney plays the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2027, with the show starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are through the Vilar, and the theater holds 530. The date was announced Oct. 15.

The Vilar lists the night as part of Kearney's Acoustic Trio Tour, a stripped-down format he's taken through mountain-town rooms before; the Center for the Arts in Jackson hosted the same tour in January 2025. In a 530-seat theater, a trio setup means the songs carry the night without much between them and the room.

What's changed since his last visit is the catalog. In June, Kearney announced a new album, Hanging by a Heartstring, which was slated for release on Oct. 9, according to Local Spins. That means January's show will be one of the first chances for Vail Valley fans to hear those songs live, and an acoustic setting is a revealing way to meet new material.

For longtime fans, the arc is a long one. Kearney's major-label debut, Nothing Left to Lose, came out on Columbia in 2006, and its title track was the single that introduced him to a wide audience. Two decades on, he's still a songwriter people show up for in a theater, not just a name on a playlist.

The Vilar itself suits him. Tucked into Beaver Creek Village, it's an intimate room where a crowd can hear every word, and Kearney's songs reward that kind of attention. Shows here tend to draw a mix of locals and visitors who planned their weekend around the ticket.

What to know: it's a Saturday-night 7 p.m. start in late January, the heart of ski season, so plan for mountain traffic and parking in the village. With 530 seats, a returning artist with a new record won't leave many tickets lying around; buy through the Vilar's own page.

Not quite three years between visits, a new album in hand, and a trio built for a room like this one. It's a good reason to come down off the mountain early.

Sources: Mat Kearney (Vilar Performing Arts Center) (vilarpac.org); Tunesmith Mat Kearney set for Meijer Gardens show (Local Spins) (localspins.com); The Center presents Mat Kearney: The Acoustic Trio Tour (Wyoming Public Media) (wyomingpublicmedia.org); Mat Kearney (Wikipedia) (en.wikipedia.org); Nothing Left to Lose (Mat Kearney album) (Wikipedia) (en.wikipedia.org); Singer-songwriter Mat Kearney: everything left to gain (PS Audio Copper) (psaudio.com); Mat Kearney at Vilar Performing Arts Center (JamBase) (jambase.com)