Taking applications for wingman/woman
So last night I found myself in a somewhat familiar situation of late, I wanted to go see a concert and Suzy didn’t want to go with me. Since I don’t really have a designated wingman in these situations, I took the comp tickets I had to the Avett Brothers show and went by myself. I was pleasantly surprised when I got there to see that my free tickets were next to my friends Gillian and Douglas, so at least I had someone to chat with between sets.
BTW, I’m taking applications for wingman. There’s a lot of good music out there, and Suzy and my sister don’t always wanna go. Lemme know if you’re in.
Regardless, this was supposed to be the album release/homecoming party for the Avett Boys, but label things/tour and tweaking caused the record to be pushed back another month. So all the folks that bought tickets got a coupon for a free download of a live EP from the show and a free poster. The show didn’t sell out, looked like it was about 5,000 strong by the time the Avetts took the stage, but there were plenty of seats available. The boys had a good time, playing some old favorites and about half a dozen tracks off the new album, too.
This was the first time I’d seen the Avetts with a drummer. The drummer for the album came out and played on a bunch of the more rock n’ roll songs with them, and it added a ton to the sound. Having a full drum kit backing up the band was a huge adder in my opinion, and something I hope they will keep in the future.
I like everything I’ve heard off the new album, but I can see where some of the long-time fans are going to have issues. There’s a lot more straight-up rock songs, and the sound is a little more poppy. There’s a lot less of Scott on banjo in the new songs, and more electric bass and drums. I think it’s a good move, as it will broaden the band’s appeal to a wider audience, but it’s gonna piss off some people. Of course, it’s impossible to change anything without pissing somebody off, so fuck ’em. As long as the boys are having a good time and writing killer songs they’ll be just fine.
Anyway, the video below is from last night. I didn’t shoot it, just embedded off YouTube.
