Rock and roll history is filled with bands that have to be heard live to be truly appreciated. Such has often been said of such legendary ensembles as the Grateful Dead and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. And I’ll add another act to the conversation: The Avett Brothers.
Friday night’s gig at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand was the third time I’ve heard the sibling-led group from North Carolina, and, on each occasion, I’ve come away feeling this to be a band to which studio recordings don’t remotely do justice. Having followed the unusual path from rock to bluegrass to a kind of thunderous rock-flavored folk all their own, Scott and Seth Avett and the rest of their seven-piece mostly acoustic band are explosively energetic and deeply committed to their material.
They’re not only enormously entertaining, but are fascinating songwriters, as well. And Friday’s 24-song, almost-two-hour set was expertly assembled to send the 6,602 in attendance on an emotional roller coaster ride.
While the concept of a rock or pop act interrupting their set for a few intimate acoustic numbers has become a cliche of the concert industry — usually delivered from a small second stage — the Avett Brothers intersperse such numbers throughout their set, coaxing listeners inward with captivating story songs filled with clever turns of phrase and arresting imagery.
And just when they’ve calmed the waters, they roil them with as much rock and roll rage as can be mustered from a banjo, fiddle, cello and acoustic guitar, the brothers bouncing about as if gravity can’t contain their passion.
Urgency is a key element in an Avetts show, and there was plenty of it to be found in the bluegrass-flavored opener, “Country Kid,” the sway-and-sing anthem, “Down With the Shine,” and an epic and involving “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise.”
But some of the most memorable moments came when the brothers traded solo acoustic numbers, Seth spinning a beautiful “The Ballad of Love and Hate” and Scott countering with a wistful “Murder in the City.” Yet the rock and roll energy couldn’t be bottled up for long, erupting on a Grandstand-shaking “Talk on Indolence.”
Perhaps it was only a matter of time before these brothers decided that acoustic instruments couldn’t sufficiently express their sense of urgency. Hence, the two strapped on electric guitars and sent solos wailing into the night on “Slight Figure of Speech” and an encore of “Kick Drum Heart.” And it worked, seeming like the logical next step for artists who seem always intent upon raising the intensity.
Speaking of bands that are better live, Everlys-esque acoustic duo the Milk Carton Kids delivered an opening set that was far more exhilarating than their recorded output, their resonant songwriting skills coming through quiet and clear.
Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.
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