Even before headliners The AvettBrothers took the stage, the crowd's roar grew louder by the minute as a screenwith a yellow-and-blue teardrops background was lowered behind the stage (thisscreen later was replaced by one of the Brooklyn Bridge).
The Avetts didn't waste any time inshowcasing their veteran blend of Americana,folk, country and rock 'n' roll music, showing no signs of tour wear as they beganthe night with an all-out, energetic rendition of “Head Full of Doubt.”
At times brothers Seth and Scott Avettbegan jumping around the stage with guitar and banjo, respectively, while JoeKwon swung his cello around in excitement as the band hit their stride.
Never a dull moment, The Avett Brothersoffered a set list full of songs from their acclaimed Rick Rubin collaboration I and Love and Youincluding “SlightFigure of Speech” and “And It Spread”and favorites from their extensivecatalog. The band lent a punk-like feel to their faster-paced songs by givingthe tunes an added punch of energy.
Even the ballads had the audiencetransfixed and cheering.
Throughout their performance, a fury ofcheers, sing-alongs and dancing in the aisles grew like wildfire. The lovely,sold-out crowd let their appreciation for the band be known.
The band ended the night with acommanding rendition of “I and Love and You,” complete with fans gesturing thethree words with their hands, as if to say what they felt about the group.
Openers The Low Anthem played insupport of their recent album Oh My God,Charlie Darwin, and relished the opportunity for greater exposure that theshow provided.
While The Low Anthem didn't quite havethe same stage presence as the Avetts, they made up for it by presenting aquality, hour-long set of folk-rock and Americanasongs.
