Mumford & Sons Live

Over a month ago one of my favorite people on this Earth came to visit to see one of our favorite bands on this Earth, Mumford & Sons.  I counted down the days until the show for months and I was so excited when it finally rolled around in mid-February (yes, this post is long overdue).  Although I'm not quite the concert aficionado I once was, this was still one of the best shows I've ever been to and I'm excited to relive it.

This post is going to be photo laden because I made sure to take a picture of every single song the group performed (although I refused to use my flash, so they're not the greatest photos).

Excited for the show to start-I think the camera was set to pick up only the blue

This show was at a nearby university, so the crowd was big, but not overwhelming.  We had general admission tickets, which meant we stood for the duration of the show.  Although my old lady back and feet weren't overly pleased with this, it allowed us to be just a few meters from the greatness happening on stage.

Hipster husband

After a couple of fun opening acts (neither of which I can remember now), this very debonair looking man greeted the enthusiastic crowd.  I figured this curtain would be whisked away at the start of the show, but I was unprepared for just how quickly they were able to remove it from the stage (seriously, it was gone in less than a second).

The show started with a bang, electrifying the crowd with the title track of their second album, Babel.

They kept the energy up with one of their most popular tracks, Little Lion Man.  I loved seeing the cafe lights lit up during this song, they make everything prettier.

Next, they cooled things off a bit with Winter Winds and some relaxing blue lighting.

The best part of this song was the addition of the brass section.  Brian was particularly pleased with the trombone representation (his instrument of choice in high school).

The base player is pretty awesome too.

One of my favorites, Below My Feet, came next.  This song reminds me of a church hymn, both in lyrics and from the rhythm.  Everything about it makes me feel good.

Things heated up again with White Blank Page, a heavier, grittier song.

A typically softer and slower song, Timshel, was cranked up a notch, although they kept the lovely harmonies in tact for the performance.

In probably one of my favorite performances of the night, the band started off singing their newest single, I Will Wait, softly and slowly.  It was a really beautiful rendition, made even more so by the simple lighting on the band.

In direct contrast to the previous song, the stage exploded with light for the next aptly named song, Lover of the Light.

Keeping the lights and energy up, Thistle and Weeds was next, which brought out fun lights and the brass section.

The band brought the energy level back down with a rendition of Ghosts That We Knew.

Banjo!

Next up was Holland Road, which had the entire crowd singing along.

Sticking with a mellow tune, the band segued into For Those Below, one of the bonus tracks on their latest album.

Crescendoing into a big finish, Roll Away Your Stone was next, which got everyone singing and dancing along.

Action shot

The band pulled out all the stops for the last song of their set, Dust Bowl Dance.

More Banjo!

Once this song was finished, the band walked off stage to a slightly dissatisfied crowd.  Luckily for us, the show wasn't quite over as the band appeared on a stage in the middle of the general admission crowd.  We raced behind us to catch the encore.

All four band member stood around a single, old fashioned microphone and requested everyone be quiet because they 'wanted to do something really special'.  They performed Reminder and Sisters with only a guitar and blended harmonies.  Although parts of the songs were drowned out by the cheers of the crowd, it was a simple and beautiful.  Sadly, my video turned out like crap, so you'll have to settle for this blurry photo and my description.

The band then headed back to the main stage for the second and final encore.  The kicked things off with a crowd favorite, The Cave.  This is the song that convinced Brian that Mumford & Sons is a good band and it was one of the ones we were most looking forward to seeing.

For the last song of the night everyone came on stage, including the performers who opened the show for what can only be described as a jamboree.  Everyone clearly has a great time performing with each other, and they were so much fun to watch. They performed The Weight, which had been performed by Mumford & Sons and other artists just a few days prior at the Grammy Awards.

errbody!

As I said previously, this was one of the best shows I've ever experienced.  Not only were we awesomely close to the stage, but we got to see firsthand the incredible musical abilities of the band.  Each member seemed to be proficient in multiple instruments and truly enjoyed performing for the crowd.

That being said, it wasn't a perfect show.  Being in general admission meant we had to constantly battle the drunk and/or high people surrounding us, some of which were unable to understand and respect personal boundaries as the night progressed.  

My main complaint, however, was that my absolute favorite song wasn't performed.  There's always one song I'm dying to see, and, inevitably, it doesn't get played and I end up disappointed.  And, apparently karma hates me, since it was played at their show the following night (at the same venue, no less).  Luckily, you can find anything on the internet, so here's the video of Awake My Soul from the next night.

Youtube

Or, from a different perspective:

Youtube

Ah, so pretty.  Someday I will see this live.  Someday.

Have you been to a show recently?  Anyone else seen Mumford & Sons live?  I'm already dying to see them again, but it looks like they aren't coming back to this area for a while...anyone want to road trip with me?!