reCAP :: The Avett Brothers :: 2016.04.09
The Avett Brothers rolled into Port Chester on April 9th to perform to a sold-out crowd of 1,800, just 24 hours after headlining the 18,000 capacity Madison Square Garden. There’s no doubt that we were lucky to see the Avetts play such an intimate and special show at The Cap.
The Avett Brothers are masters of contrast. Their set had covers, deep cuts, new songs, and crowd pleasers. Songs would start with Scott Avett singing over a gentle piano part, and then end with the bang of Seth Avett’s electric guitar. They can switch gears quickly, and their ability to oscillate between punk rock energy and acoustic ballads is truly impressive.
The enthusiastic crowd, fronted by several die-hards on the rail who had waited in line for 8+ hours, sang along to every song from the very start, beginning with the set opener “Die, Die, Die.”
“Down With the Shine” was the first highlight of the set, with its waltz-like beat encouraging the first few rows of the crowd to sway in unison. It ended with Seth Avett’s soft falsetto over light banjo plucking and a melodious violin line, before the band launched into the triumphant “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise,” a fan favorite off of their 2009 album “I and Love and You.”
Next came “Ain’t No Man,” the yet to be released single from their upcoming album “True Sadness.” The only instrumentals were Bob Crawford’s addictive bass line, paired with a simple drum beat from Mike Marsh. Five part harmonies from the rest of the band held up the chorus, making for a quirky and fun preview of what to expect next from the band.
At one point, Seth, Scott, and Bob took to a single microphone in the very front of the stage to play three songs with just an upright bass, acoustic guitar, and vocals. While nothing beats the 7 piece band rocking out to a song like “Vanity,” fleshed out with electric guitar, it was nice to see the Avetts strip down to two voices and two acoustic instruments, harking back to their roots.
The latter half of their set included a cover of Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried,” a nice nod to the influential outlaw who had passed just a few days before. The best song of the night had to be “Kick Drum Heart,” when Seth sat down on the edge of the stage as he dug into his electric guitar, while Scott jumped around in front of the rail, reaching out to the crowd.
It’s moments like these that define the live Avett experience- high energy songs that the band performs with genuine enthusiasm and love.
The encore saw the band play “True Sadness,” the title track of their upcoming album, which was another promising and upbeat preview of what’s to come. The rocky and light-hearted “Slight Figure of Speech” was the highlight, and the band ended with “Life,” the reflective closer of their album “The Carpenter,” which gave a poignant end to the evening.
Seth remarked at one point that it was “Good to be reminded that every single person in the room took the time to be here tonight.” On the flip side, it’s nice to be reminded that The Avett Brothers still take the time to tour constantly and allow us to experience their music.