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Okay, I need to talk about this. Olivia Dean has had the kind of run most artists dream about. She won Best New Artist at the 68th GRAMMY Awards, and her second album, The Art of Loving, has grown into a full arena tour that reaches Australia and New Zealand this month. Arenas! For an artist whose songs feel like they were written for a small room with candles.
So you'd expect some futuristic, custom-built, never-before-seen microphone, right? Nope. The mic she's singing into is one of the oldest in live music, and honestly, that's my favorite part of this whole story.
A 60-year-old mic, custom-finished for the tour
Shure marked the SM58's 60th anniversary this year, and Dean was one of the artists featured in the celebration. She told Shure the SM58 has been part of her live show for years, and she praised its "warm, crisp and classic sound." For this tour, her team even had one done in chrome to match the stage design. Iconic. It's the mic version of a vintage jacket that's been tailored to fit perfectly.
It's a telling choice, too. Arena artists can use almost any vocal mic they want, and plenty still reach for the same dynamic that's been on club stages since 1966. My mom's old concert photos from the Alanis era are full of them, and they're still all over the tour videos I watch today. Some things just don't need fixing.
Why singers keep coming back to it
The SM58 is built for the realities of a stage. Its cardioid pickup keeps the vocal up front and helps fight feedback from monitors. The built-in pop filter and internal shock mount tame breath and handling noise. And it's famously hard to break, so it sounds the same on night 40 of a tour as on night one.
That last part matters more than people think. A tour is loud, sweaty and chaotic, and a singer needs to trust that the mic in her hand will behave the same way every single night. When your voice is the whole show, reliable beats flashy.
What this means if you sing
Here's what I find kind of beautiful: the sound an arena headliner trusts is the same sound you can get for your Friday open mic, your church band or your bedroom covers. There's no secret pro version. If you're just starting out and want one mic that'll grow with you, the SM58 is about as safe a bet as live sound gets.
Catch the tour
- Oct 5 & 6: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
- Oct 9 & 10: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
- Oct 13: Brisbane Entertainment Centre
- Oct 17: Spark Arena, Auckland
If you're in Australia or New Zealand, please go. Then come back and tell us everything.
Shop the gear
The SM58's sound is also available wireless, which is a great upgrade if you move around a lot on stage (or just hate tripping over cables). Both of these systems pair Shure's receivers with a genuine SM58 handheld:
- Shure BLX24/SM58 Handheld Vocal Wireless System: a reliable, affordable wireless setup for gigs, worship teams and events.
- Shure GLXD24+/SM58 Handheld Vocal Wireless System: digital wireless with rechargeable battery and simple setup.
Browse all Shure microphones. Order by 5PM on weekdays for next-day delivery in the continental US.
Chloe Hall is one of Frontrow's editorial voices, a character our team writes as to bring a pop fan's perspective to the gear news we cover.
