01.29.2011 - The Avett Brothers
February 8, 2011
The Morris Performing Arts Center
South Bend, IN
Our 6-hour round trip to The Morris Performing Arts Center in South Bend, IN to see The Avett Brothers last Saturday night was well worth the trouble. We missed seeing the band’s set at Bonnaroo last June because frankly, it was so packed we couldn’t get anywhere close. They were quickly becoming one of my favorite bands (I know, it was a little late for that!) at the time, and what we could hear of their music, travelling across a blazing hot field and over the heads of thousands of fans, was truly amazing. We also missed them opening for John Mayer at Verizon last summer due to a scheduling conflict, so we were definitely not-so-patiently awaiting The Avett Brothers return to a city within driving distance of Indy.
Kicking off the show, The David Mayfield Parade played a fantastic opening set. If you aren’t familiar with David Mayfield, you may have heard of his sister, Jessica Lea Mayfield, who is currently touring with Justin Townes Earle. The David Mayfield Parade really is a parade of sorts, all fronted by none other than David Mayfield himself, on guitar and vocals. This, of course, fails to mention one of his most entertaining of talents – his incredible dancing skills. While more along the lines of Chris Farley’s dance moves than anything you’ll see on the latest episode of Dancing with the Stars, these moves, the fringed shirt he wore, and the music he made certainly made David a force to be reckoned with on stage.
David Mayfield owes some of his musical success to Scott and Seth Avett – while he was on tour with Jessica, the Avetts took notice of David Mayfield’s musicianship and invited him to play with them dozens of times during 2010. They also encouraged David to make a record of his own, to which they lent their voices. David and Parade played a fairly lengthy set, including songs like “Breath of Love”, “I Just Might Pray”, “Noreen”, and “What do you call it?”. The band’s sound is decidedly influenced by bluegrass, country, and folk – they fit in perfectly with The Avett Brothers.
The Avett Brothers have a very simple stage setup, consisting of several backdrops with various geometric patterns on them that change throughout the show. The focus is 100% on the band and their music. They opened with a sweet little love song from what became their breakout album, I and Love and You – “January Wedding”. Let me just confess that I deeply regret having only recently discovered The Avett Brothers – they played songs covering just about all of the albums they’ve put out in the past decade (Over 10 albums, including EP’s), and I immediately wished I had been following their career from the very start. Just my opinion, but these guys are lyrical geniuses. Maybe I’d go so far as to say musical geniuses, because the melodies that accompany their deep and thoughtful words are just as amazing.
You may have heard The Avett’s latest single, “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise” on the radio. But let me tell you – you haven’t really HEARD it until you do so live. That song is epic in a live setting. The guys played a very full set, including “Traveling Song”, “Shame”, “November Blue”, “Die, Die, Die”, and “Kick Drum Heart”. Bassist Bob Crawford even took the stage solo to perform a beautiful version of “Letter to a Pretty Girl”. And if I’d be lying if I said I’ve ever seen a crazier Cellist – Joe Kwon was dancing around the stage with that cello as if it were human.
Something I’ve begun to notice with bands that incorporate the vocals of siblings is their almost eerily amazing ability to harmonize with each other. Scott and Seth Avett are no exception to that rule – their perfectly complementary voices will give you chills. I was hoping they would play “The Perfect Space” – I think that song strikes me as having the most beautiful harmonies on I and Love and You – but unfortunately they skipped that one this time around. That’s ok, because I don’t plan on making this the last time I see The Avett Brothers live. A really fantastic show in a beautiful venue – go see these guys in these relatively small venues when you get the opportunity. I foresee them stepping up to headlining stadium and amphitheater-sized venues in the very near future.
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