Avett Brothers!

Alert. Bulletin. Alert.

Last night I saw the Avett Brothers in concert. ("Avett" rhymes with "pave it," not "have it.")

I am a relatively new fan. My friend Reid put a couple of their songs on a mix CD for me, and I loved them. So he made me a "best of" CD. Then B. gave me "Emotionalism" for my birthday. So I've been digging them for a little while, and I looked to see if they were on tour and by some miracle coming anywhere near here. And they were! And they did, last night.

I bought tickets for B. and me, not realizing he'd have a final the next day. So I brought my little brother instead, knowing he would be inspired musically. The show was set for 8:00, and I knew he had to leave by 9:30 for his own gig, but I figured he'd still see plenty of them.

Well, that was not to be. There was an opening act who was on for the nearly the whole first hour. Matt Butcher. He sang and played the guitar and harmonica and did a fine job and seemed like a nice person. But I don't stay up late, and I was starting to yawn a little bit. And it was no reflection on him; I'm just usually in bed with a book by around that time.

And then it was time for the Avett Brothers, and nothing I'd seen online or heard on CD prepared me for the show I saw last night.

Scott Avett came on stage at about 9:00. And he came out alone and he sang this song, "Murdered in the City." And his voice immediately filled the small theater and I saw my little brother sit up a little bit, like, "Huh," and my yawns ceased immediately. And then Seth Avett joined him, just like he does in that clip. And they sang this song about sharing a name and maybe that song is supposed be about husbands and wives or something, but to me in that moment, it was about mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers, and I was so glad to be sitting there next to mine. "Always remember there is nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name." SO! That was a poignant and great way to start the show.

I'm not exactly sure what came next. "Shame," maybe? Which is one of my favorites and it was unsurprisingly fantastic. My brother turned to me wide-eyed as the guys jumped around and sang beautifully and played masterfully and said as if awestruck, "I've never seen anything like this." I said, "I KNOW." Joining the brothers onstage were of course Brad Crawford on the upright bass and also Joe Kwan, who did things with a cello I did not think possible. Sadly, my brother had to leave 30 minutes into the set and I stayed by myself. This theater is small and sort of upscale, and people were sitting somewhat sedately even though clearly enjoying the show from their seats at this time. Not long thereafter, a very loud and bossy guy stood up and started rousing the crowd to get up. "COME ON, Y'ALL," he yelled in sputtering disbelief at the top of his lungs. "GET UP AND DANCE!" And that was all it took and the crowd was on its feet. I think this was during "Paranoia in B flat Major." And lo, it was so fun. And the next song was "Die, Die, Die," which was what I'd been waiting for. And it was great!

And the whole show was just so great. There was a buzz in the air. Somehow the band managed to be having so much fun while also being really serious and professional and it's hard to explain. Sweat was pouring down their faces and there was jumping up and down and the kicking of legs in the air and strings were popping all over the place and Joe Kwan was picking up his cello and playing it while swinging it around and people were dancing and clapping and it was just so damn joyous. Even when things went wrong, like feedback or whatever, if they couldn't get it just right, Scott Avett would shrug from the drumset and command, "Let's go with it!" Scott Avett = very in charge of the whole situation. ("More bass!" "More banjo, please!") By the time they got to "Salina," another of my favorites, and Seth Avett sat down at the grand piano to play the end of the song, tears were streaming down my face because the piano combined with the bass and the cello were so beautiful. That song is a beautiful piece work. DAMN, IT WAS AWESOME.

I can't remember the exact setlist, but they played a couple of brand new songs. One was "And It Spread." Which I loved. "When I Drink" was quiet and lovely and "The Weight of Lies" was lovely and powerful. They came out for an encore when the crowd would neither sit down nor shut up.

I don't really know what else to say. This band makes beautiful music. They are very intense on stage, whether intensely playful or intensely emotional or intensely energetic or just intensely ... intense. Their harmonies are amazing and their lyrics are awesome and they can rock their instruments like nobody's business. Banjoes make the world a better place when played by Scott Avett.

Their songs individually and their show as a whole somehow ran my heart and soul through the entire range of human emotion. I cannot explain it any better than that except to say that the top of my head was vibrating with joy the entire time, even when my heart felt like it was breaking. This morning, I was feeling weepy for other reasons and boo-hooing on the way to work, and "Shame" came on and I started cracking up laughing through my tears at the memory of how wonderful it was live onstage last night.

All I can say is LISTEN UP, AMERICA. They are on tour and they are probably coming near you. Chicago? Are you listening, Chicago? May 14. (The only one of you who is exempt from going is the one who might be giving birth right around that time.) Philly? Is that you? May 25. Alexandria? Yes, Alexandria. That means you, my sister and Elizabeth. And the list goes on and on. Just do yourself a favor and go! I don't care what kind of music you like. I can't imagine your not liking this music or not enjoying the living hell out of this band's show.

I'm so glad I went. I'm so glad I went. I'm so glad I went. You will be, too. I swear.