Photos by Jim Mimna
The Scene: Early Thursday morning, The Avett Brothers had arrived for their annual 3-night run at the historic Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The Denver metro region was overrun with folk fans eager to see the band at the picturesque venue, some traveling from as far as Australia. Hotels were at capacity, party buses were completely booked, and vintage clothing stores hit all-time records. Okay, maybe not the last part, but it’s probably not that far off from the truth.
Upon entering Red Rocks on Friday night, you were sure to see lots of families and groups of young people who looked like they belonged on Antiques Roadshow. This was also the type of show where you had to sit in your assigned seat. If you were in someone’s spot, they made it known. Blankets were strewn throughout the Amphitheatre early on as people flocked to their seats to ensure they caught a glimpse of the rockstar opener, Gary Clark Jr.
Gary Clark Jr.: The Austin-native humbly approached the stage, standing slightly off to the side by his bandmates. The four of them laid out in a line in front of the Avett Brothers’ rose-adorned instrument covers. There were no theatrics needed for Mr. Clark, for he showed off his production value in his lengthy, powerful guitar riffs. Clark wasted no time and opened up with one of his biggest and catchiest hits, “Bright Lights.” With much angst and gusto, he belted the ending lyrics of the song “You gonna know my name” and that seems to have resonated. I actually saw many more Gary Clark t-shirts than Avett ones, so he’s certainly established his presence.
From here, he transitioned into a Pop-Rock song, “Travis County,” followed by “Next Door Neighbor Blues.” Clark shredded his way through a few other songs before making his way to the very dynamic “When My Train Pulls In.” If you haven’t seen this live before, I highly recommend checking out his Jam in the Van rendition of this song. It’s limitless and breath-taking and seeing it live is evidence of his raw talent. He encapsulates a certain ease to his prowess.
He ended with a few greats: the song “Shake” is reminiscent of a soundtrack that would play during a transient’s expedition, one who’s snuck onto a freight train, bindle in hand. It’s southern, it’s Rock; it’s kinetic through and through. The set ended with “Numb,” paying homage to Clark’s classic sound. It’s mild in structure but complex in heart and soul. If you haven’t seen Gary Clark Jr., see him. His guitar playing is goosebump inducing.
The Avett Brothers: When I found out that the Avett Brothers were from a town called Mt. Pleasant, I laughed. It’s so fitting. The brothers are endearing, kind and pure. They’re family men engrained in their hometown. They’re sensitive, loving, and in touch with their feelings. I heard sounds of disappointment whenever their wedding rings were captured on screen. Women swooned over the pair all night long, and men looked up to their comfort in emotion.
Their sound is twangy, but poppy. It’s a dynamic sound that’s just as raw and powerful as their faith, which they projected through their set as well. Their songs are about love and loss, growth and redemption. It’s laced with influence from the Appalachian Mountains and the Baptist Church. There are elements of Punk Rock, Country Blues, Ragtime, Honkytonk, Bluegrass, Indie-Rock, Folk. And, boy, do they jam out.
They came right out of the gates with high energy. Their lights blasted the crowd and their legs were bouncing from side to side–twang bellowing through the mics. Scott Avett, the banjo player, started bringing down the tempo with his soulful singing on “Down with the Shine.” An up-tempo “The Fall” followed, with the crowd mimicking the catchy chorus. Seth Avett, who plays mainly guitar, was bouncing around like he was still in his high school band.
Sixteen years later and the brothers still have the energy of teenagers.
Hits like “Another is Waiting,” “Go to Sleep” and “Murder in the City” followed, with lots of “shushing” by the crowd in between. These three songs ranged from Punk Rock to lullaby to Folk. All in one fell swoop.
The boys dropped their banjo and guitar during “Ain’t No Man” and let the bass, keys and drums do the talking. “Shame” and “And It Spread” were crowd pleasers that led into a family reunion. Jim Avett, the proud father of the Avett boys, walked out with their sister, Bonnie, to join them in a dark, Christian mini-set. It was very “Oh Brother Where Art Thou.” They sang songs about prayers, the “Precious Lord,” and a heavenly valley. It was beautiful and touching to see the whole family out there but to be honest it was quite preachy. Thankfully, the Avett Brothers can read minds and, once their family left the stage, they started singing “The Devil’s in my Head. Satan’s ringing in now and I gotta take the call.” I think it’s safe to say that was them rebelling.
My personal favorite, “Will Your Return” was up next, from their 2007 album, Emotionalism. From there, “February Seven” took the lead as the crowd pleaser. To calm everyone down and give us time to rest, “I Wish I Was” followed. The Avetts picked up the tempo quickly with yet another fan favorite, “Laundry Room.” At this point, I think it’s safe to say that all of the songs are crowd favorites.
To close out the set, “Slight Figure of Speech” focused on the supporting musicians. Violinist, Tania Elizabeth, was steadfast and relentless with her jams all night. Her companion, Joe Kwon, an amazing cello player, stood by her side the whole night jamming out like no cello player I’ve seen before. The drummer, though, was the highlight of the evening. The lights dimmed and he was in the spotlight. His solo was complex and mathematical. It was so smart and complicated that it was almost silly. People were laughing. After about 10 minutes, the lights came back on and you saw everyone in the band lying on their backs. They started playing their instruments. On. Their. Backs. They all arose. Scott Avett threw his guitar so high up in the air that I thought it was going to get stuck in the rafters. Seth Avett punted his instrument, caught it and started playing right when it touched his fingers. All of this was in time, in sync and unbelievable. They were basically playing hackey sack with their instruments and it sounded amazing. The Avett Brothers were showing off. Letting everyone know that they’ve been around for 15+ years. And that they aren’t going anywhere.
Energy: A+
Musicianship: A
Sound: A-
Stage Presence: A
Set/Light Show: A
Overall: A
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