The Avett Brothers—The Pageant—St. Louis—June 25, 2009
The hard-touring Avett Brothers stopped in St. Louis tonight on a tour that anticipates the release of their major-label debut, the Rick Rubin-produced I and Love and You. Once the Brothers walked out, now a clean-shaven quartet with the addition of cellist Joe Kwon, the place erupted and Scott and Seth flashed blate smiles at a packed house of plaid-clad grad students and beard enthusiasts.
The boys opened with an elegiac reading of “The Lowering,” featuring their diplomatic trademark of sharing duties (their mama taught ’em well); they traded verses, Seth then Scott, and when they harmonized on the third verse, pushing their voices to peak power, this venue was owned. A sign hanging from the balcony read “Avett Nation,” and it felt like it. At one point, during a blast-furnace version of “Paranoia in Bb Major,” Seth broke a guitar string, turned for a new one, and was surprised but pleased that the crowd charged in and shouted the entire next verse in his absence. It’s a family affair, obviously; the ABs are all about love and family and connection, and their allegiant audience feels a part–by the time they got to the singalong “Salvation Song” from 2004’s Mignonette to end the main set, the crowd was digging deep, arms linked and heads swaying in ecstatic unison.
Some of the best moments tonight were the solo-acoustic performances, Seth’s “Ballad of Love and Hate,” featuring his sweetest singing of the night, and Scott’s “Murder in the City,” on which Scott changed that line about his sister to “my daugher”–Scott’s wife gave birth to a little girl back in October. The ‘Vetts played surprisingly few songs, just two, from their upcoming record, now delayed until late September, but when they debuted the new record’s title cut and later the springy “Kickdrum Heart,” both with Seth on organ and Scott behind the drum kit, the Bros hit a more graceful and melodic stride, providing two of tonight’s clear highlights. “I and Love and You,” apparently about the healing balm of, um, Brooklyn, was a particular gem, repeating the phrase “the shape I’m in,” perhaps not a coincidence given the song’s Band-esque, organ-driven, heartland beauty. I and really and dug and it. Still, the crowd went bonkers during the manic mountain-punk faves, like “Wanted Man” and “Die Die Die,” featuring the band’s traditional arrangement: Scott on banjo (he’s a real frailer) and kick drum and Seth on acoustic guitar and high-hat. However, the success of their new tunes may indicate that this band is moving beyond the sonically-limiting arrangement of their usual setup with which the boys’ ardent vocals (and frequent screaming interjections) threaten to overwhelm the instrumentation. Admittedly, you can’t argue with their success to this point, and the addition of Kwon bolsters their sound with some profitable counter-melody, but if these new songs and the weeping loyalty of this big crowd are any indication, this band is primed to cash in on its considerable dues-paying and land on the cover of Rolling Stone.
By the way, we all know who’s going to be on the cover of the next one, and The Pageant made an ace choice for the band’s walk-off music: the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.” It didn’t feel like a funeral, though; everyone was too pumped up to mourn Michael, so they paid tribute by dancing their way out of the club.
Setlist:
1. The Lowering (A Sad Day in Greeneville Town)
2. Wanted Man
3. Down with the Shine
4. Distraction #74
5. Die Die Die
6. Weight of Lies
7. Nothing Short of Thankful
8. I and Love and You
9. I Would Be Sad
10. Talk on Indolence
11. Ballad of Love and Hate
12. Paranoia in Bb Major
13. Pretty Girl from San Diego
14. Salina
15. Kickdrum Heart
16. Bella Donna
17. Murder in the City
18. Will You Return
19. Salvation Song
Encore
20. Pretty Girl from St. Louis (instrumental)
21. Perfect Space
