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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Mahtomedi 21, Mankato West 19: A three-win team a year ago, the Zephyrs are already setting a different tone this fall with a season-opening win over a perennial power.

Jacob Reubish, Gavin Kruse and Mark Graff all tallied rushing scores, with Kruse taking his 81 yards to the house to put Mahtomedi up 14-0 in the second quarter.

Osborne Lorenz threw three touchdown passes for Mankato West, two of which went to Ayden Betts.

Johnson 57, St. Agnes 30: Johnson has some of the most explosive offensive firepower in the metro with quarterback Ali Farfan and receiver Justice Moody.

The Governors’ put their big-play ability on full display Friday in St. Paul, scoring 24 second-quarter points en route to the Week 1 win. They scored 54 points over the first three frames alone.

If Johnson can stay healthy, it could make some serious noise in the cities this season.

Apple Valley 35, Rochester John Marshall 29: Trailing 14-7 at the break, Tylan Ward returned the opening kick of the second half 80 yards for the game-tying touchdown to spark the come-from-behind victory.

Eagles quarterback Quieris Barnslater, a North Dakota State commit, gave the Rochester John Marshall defense fits throughout the evening with his elusiveness and playmaking ability. His five-yard rushing touchdown with six minutes to play put the Eagles up multiple scores, effectively putting the game on ice.

South St. Paul 43, Minneapolis Camden 0: The Packers expect to contend for titles this fall and, well, their opening statement backed up those aspirations.

The 43-point victory marks the Packers’ biggest margin of victory since the 2015 playoffs.

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A Lakeville man who went missing while climbing a Wyoming mountain in July was found deceased this week, and officials believe he died from a “tragic accident.”

Grant Gardner 38, was last heard from on the evening of July 29. He texted his wife to let her know that he reached the top of Cloud Peak — at an elevation of more than 13,000 feet — in a rugged wilderness area in north-central Wyoming.

Gardner said the climb was more taxing than he expected, and that he was planning to head to a lower elevation for the night. He never returned.

Despite an extensive air and ground search for Gardner, he was not found and officials last week said they were heartbroken to shift the search from a rescue to a recovery operation.

Gardner’s body was found Wednesday after a professional climbing team from North Carolina summited Cloud Peak on Tuesday and while making camp for the night spotted a slight reflection a few hundred feet above them under a ledge, according to a post on the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

The climbers told officials via satellite phone that they were confident the item was a backpack, but because the sun was setting it would be too dangerous to investigate that night.

Authorities asked the climbers to wait to descend until a search-and-rescue team arrived at daylight, the post said.

Search teams prepared during the night and saw that the forecast showed a “very narrow window” before an impending weather system moved in.

Searchers found Gardner’s remains near the backpack. They said it was a difficult and dangerous recovery operation.

The Big Horn County Coroner’s Office is investigating when and how he died, but officials said in the post they “believe Gardner succumbed to a tragic accident as we all have surmised.”

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Just a year into his major league career, Byron Buxton took off for third base. He was thrown out.

Buxton, one of the most successful base stealers of all time, hadn’t attempted to take third base for more than nine years when he broke for third base in the third inning on Friday night. The center fielder made it there without a throw and with the stolen base, slid into the Twins’ record books.

His first career steal of third base was also his 20th of the season, making him just the seventh Twin to become part of the 20 home run, 20 stolen base club. It was the highlight of the Twins’ 7-4 win over the San Diego Padres in the series opener at Target Field.

An inning later, he stole another base as part of a four-run inning in which the Padres starter, Nestor Cortes, was ejected right as he was seemingly about to be pulled from the game and the Twins broke away from the Padres.

The center fielder, who is the first to accomplish the feat since Brian Dozier did so in 2014, now has an outside shot to become the first Twin to reach 30/30, needing three more home runs and nine stolen bases to accomplish it.

Buxton has never hit 30 home runs or stolen 30 bases in his career, though that is more due to health than anything. If he stays healthy throughout the rest of the season, it doesn’t seem to be outside the realm of possibilities.

Meanwhile, Buxton, who hit a single and drove in two runs in the game, had plenty of help from his teammates.

Trevor Larnach had a team-high three hits, including one in the fourth inning that put the Twins up by three. It came right after a fielding error by Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth allowed a pair of runs to score.

That helped make a winner of starter Zebby Matthews, who gave up three runs and pitched into the seventh inning.

López nears return

Pablo López’s return is on the horizon.

López, who made his second rehab start with the Triple-A Saints on Tuesday in Toledo, Ohio, has plans to fly back to Toledo to link back up with the Saints and make another outing on Sunday. The starting pitcher has been on the injured list since early June with a teres major strain.

His goal in what he expects to be his final rehab start is to last five innings and throw around 75-80 pitches.

“Last one, best one,” he said. “I still have to remember that it’s been almost three months with a semi-major shoulder injury, so kind of take one more game to feel things out physically, mechanically, pitching wise (and) polish some things up. “

Though he admitted the back and forth is “a little weird,” his reasons for returning to the Twin Cities in between rehab starts are trifold. One, he said, it’s more fun. Two, he wanted to get back for his dog, Bosco. And three, he wanted to throw in front of pitching coaches Pete Maki and Luis Ramirez.

“I’m still trying to feel some things to make sure that I’m not as worried about my velo or things like that,” Lopez said. “Just making sure that I’m feeling healthy. And I’m checking all my marks with the mental cues I have when I’m pitching, so always good to throw, do my plyos, my towel drills, my long toss, having Pete and Luis right there with me.”

Briefly

The Twins have listed Taj Bradley as Saturday’s starter with Joe Ryan scheduled to start on Sunday. The last time through the rotation, Mick Abel started the day before Bradley. The Twins currently have six starters on the major league roster.

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