The folk rock group The Avett Brothers first appeared on U.S. charts in 2007 with the release of their fifth studio album “Emotionalism.” At the time, they were industry veterans with little fame to their name. Having cultivated a sound that combines the energy of rock with the emotion of folk and Americana, The Avett Brothers quickly became recognized nationwide as one of the most entertaining acts in live music.
While “Emotionalism” maintained the rugged, stripped-down sound of their previous four albums, each of the three subsequent albums has been more popular and more polished than the last. This is partly due to legendary music producer Rick Rubin signing the Avett Brothers to American Recordings prior to the 2009 release of their breakthrough album “I And Love And You.”
This shift in style has carried over from the studio to the stage, producing more grandiose performances at the expense of the sound that got The Avett Brothers where they are today. That isn’t to say that the Avett Brothers have regressed in the quality of their music — rather they’ve found a new sound and a new direction. Their latest live show at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion last Saturday proved that.
Show opener Jill Andrews is sure to make a breakthrough like The Avett Brothers soon.
Her smooth harmonies were a gentle start to the night’s entertainment. Andrews’ sweet yet powerful voice excelled in “I’m so in Love with You,” featuring Seth Avett, as well as the haunting “Cannibal.”
As the night air turned crisp, a light wind crept in. The crowd, primed by Andrews’ alluring introduction, inched closer and closer to the stage. The Avett Brothers then took over with the foot-stomping “Paranoia in B-Flat Major” off of “Emotionalism,” instantly igniting the crowd’s energy.
Following this setlist perennial and “Live and Die” was a surprising performance of the breathtakingly epic and unrecorded “Satan Pulls the Strings,” which showed the full strength of all the band members. The set was characterized by this alternating pattern of classic fan favorites, and newer, more contemporary songs featuring the rare appearance of an electric guitar to the primarily acoustic instruments in the Avett Brothers’ arsenal.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was the early placement of songs “I And Love And You” and “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise.” Both songs are almost exclusively end-of-set spectacles, often guaranteed to be the encore set. Additionally, the three-piece acoustic “Die Die Die” was altered to include a distracting, gratuitous drum section.
Breaking their old performing routine is a sign of The Avett Brothers’ progress as musicians, and while this may be frustrating to those fans loyal to the band’s origins, their shift in style ultimately speaks well for the future. The Avett Brothers remain one of the highest energy live performers out there, but they’ve started a new chapter in their career, likely bound for even more success.
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