Ever since I heard them, The Avett Brothers have held a special place in my heart. They’re one of those bands that came at the right time and delivered the right content. And as anyone who has heard their album, Emotionalism, will tell you, the Avetts have the ability to move you, even when you’re stubbornly in place.
A band that can pull this off successfully and suck you into their world on an album has their work cut out for them in a live setting (will they be able to draw as much attention to their material onstage?), and The Avett Brothers are in a special predicament. Allow me to elaborate.
Two types of crowds can show up to an Avetts show: a compliant and well-behaved one, or an absolutely rowdy, distracting, and polarizing one that’s trying to live vicariously through the band. Although I endorse enthusiasm, I certainly don’t (nor does anyone for that matter) appreciate it from the loud drunk Dave Mathews fan with a backwards hat standing right next to me yelling in the middle of a fucking song! It's happened to me. You might think I’m exaggerating, but those guys exist by the thousands, and the last place you want one is in a crowded and smelly venue bursting your privacy bubble. Now, I’ve been told actual journalists are taught never to discuss a crowd at a show, but seeing as those who can, do – and those who can’t, teach, I cordially choose to ignore this literary gem. To me, the audience at an Avetts show is important, so I'll talk about them.
Back to my point, as more than a casual fan, I’m always caught in this predicament: do I go see one of my favorite bands live and risk having an unpleasant evening because of a distracting audience, or do I stay at home and kick myself for not going to see them?
Well, I’m writing this review so obviously, I opted for the latter, and it was all for the best as the crowd opted not to take the Gonzo route on this particular occasion. Rejoice!
The show itself? Well, it’s a perfect embodiment of The Avett Brothers' albums. They are animated, energetic and a bit wild at times. The boys treated us to a wide array of songs from their new album, I and Love and You (look for that album review right here on Ground Control real soon!), including my favorites “Head Full of Doubt,” “Ten Thousand Words” and the title track which was a treat. And of course, one must appreciate a band whose members have the ability to switch from guitar to banjo to drums to piano and make it look easy. Polish that off with some crowd favorites like “Shame” and a perfect-right-down-to-the-answering-machine-sample rendition of “Pretty Girl from Chile,” along with some nice crowd pandering (like Bob Crawford wearing a Phillies cap during the encore), and you’re left with a satisfied Philadelphia crowd that, as Scott Avett made sure to point out, will always welcome this band back to their city.
Artist:
www.theavettbrothers.com
www.myspace.com/theavettbrothers
Album:
I and Love and You is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
