The Avett Brothers: A Family Affair

Avett Brothers Concert Review - Sunday August 18, 2024 @ Alpine Valley, East Troy, WI

Watching the Avett Brothers in concert is a liberating voyage of the soul. Some moments are tender, others winking and at times it often feels like a Sunday morning revival. The Avett Brothers are a band that cooks with an audience in front of them, something not always reflected in their studio output. On their current tour stop at the Alpine Valley amphitheater in East Troy, Wisconsin (a venue designed decades back to play to both Chicago and Milwaukee crowds), the Avett Brothers were in support of their newly released self-titled album, but for the audience at Alpine, this was a night of fervent devotion and the shared communion between band and fan.

Opening the show with the exquisite harmonies of "Never Apart," Scott and Seth Avett found their sweet spot where they shared a microphone and the intimacy of one another, elevating their art to that next level as the audience took it all in before the band plugged in. "Bleeding White" found Seth Avett tearing through his guitar chords as bassist Bob Crawford and drummer Mike Marsh met eye-to-eye as they helped drive the show into overdrive. The Avett Brothers are best known as an indie folk band, but in concert, they take their music to higher levels. Even when it's just their acoustic guitars, they often roar like arena rockers in search of a deeper connection with those in the dark beyond the stage.

The stars in the Wisconsin night served as the perfect mood setting for the sparkling "Forever Now" where Bob Crawford's bass lines syncopated the tender lyrics. A cover of Doc Watson's instrumental "Black Mountain Rag" was a hand-clapping joyride while "For the Love of a Girl" was overflowing with harmonies while the band goes full-tilt kicking the show into higher gear. Even a non-fan watching the show would acknowledge the transcendent nature of the show. Despite having seven members on stage, the Avett Brothers expanded band syncopated the groove when needed and allowed the songs to breathe with nominal arrangements. There were moments when cellist Jow Kwon and fiddle player Tania Elisabeth added glowing touches ("Orion's Belt") and other times they heightened the song without ever overpowering it ("Country Kid). Kwon and Elisabeth are the band's x-factor's who adorn the songs and exalt them in every way imaginable. There were other moments of a more restrained nature like "I Wish I Was" featured Scott, Seth, and bassist Bob Crawford alone on the stage. Watching the three of them under the stars as the crowd carried the song to its finale is as perfect as life can be.

Midway through the set, something no one could have imagined happened; Muppet Avett Brothers. The band has worked with Jim Henson's studio to create three distinct puppets for Scott, Seth, and Bob. Setup on the left side of the stage, a group of men dressed all in black guided the Muppet Avett Brothers through a three-song set. "Hard Worker" was a joy to watch with the real-life band performing in the dark while the spotlight shined on the puppet performers. Merchandise for these Muppet versions was on display with the name of "The Avetts." Two songs from their 2001 album Country Was were up next, "November Blue" and "A Lot of Moving". Despite the spotlight not being on the band during this time, it felt like a throwback to their early days when guitar, banjo and bass drove the band's sound. The Muppet set was nothing short of a miracle, and while it was amusing, at its core, it was all heart. By digging into songs that stretch back more than two decades, the band tapped into the same magic that helped them become who they are today and served as a reminder of where they came from.

While the band delivered a near perfect set, there was no denying the reactions to the material from I and Love and You from 2009. "Laundry Room" featured the crowd singing their hearts out in a performance rendered as simply as possible. On the title track the crowd gave a guttural response of a pain that lives in their bones that cannot escape, but one they can learn from. The crowd at the show was a monumental presence that raised the show in unforeseen ways. The two brothers could start a song, have the band blend in rhapsodically, but it is how the audience reacts and builds before the song becomes complete in all its glory. The Avett Brothers have many aces in a loaded deck, but none is more vital than the fans who are as loyal as a family. The iridescently beautiful song "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise" captured the imagination of the audience as they went into a frenzy the same way the crowd did when I saw Metallica the week before as they began to play "Enter Sandman;" a testament to the bond the Avett's have established with their faithful fans. When they sang the lyrics "If you're loved by someone, you're never rejected" you could feel everyone's heart simultaneously break and repaired with kintsugi. It's often said you should never review a concert based on the crowd and this is something I disagree with vehemently. With the crowd singing along to every word, the fans become that final band members of the Avett Brothers.

The Avett Brothers have tapped into a genre of music that feels and sounds timeless. They harness the best of folk music and channel their energy through their instruments on the stage creating declarations of love and resolve. Their folk guitars and pining vocals remind you of your past, the birth of your first child, a time from before you were born but inside those vocal harmonies and gentle songs are urgent clues about our future as reflected in "We Are Loved" when they sing "Even as hope seems lost / It may be found again". The Avett Brothers current tour is a roller coaster of emotions with an urgency that rattles you to your core and is one that should not be missed.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMUSIC Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He has seen over 1,000 concerts in his life and has been writing about music for more than twenty years. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT Gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter

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