In 2011, Mumford and Sons and The Avett Brothers and Bob Dylan all performed together at the Grammys. It was amazing. (Except for Bob Dylan, because he is really not amazing at all, ever.) It was the first time I’d heard Mumford & Sons (and probably the first for The Avett Brothers) and they knocked my socks off. The whole performance was killer, but I focused on Mumford. And I still love them. Yes. Muchly. My point, however, is that I did not fall in love with the Avett Brothers that night. I was too blown away by Mumford. And sons.
I have several friends who like The Avett Brothers. They’re generally people who have respectable taste in music, but I never ventured into Avett territory to give it a listen. For some reason, however, I decided I should go see them when they come to town next month. The Avett Brothers, that is, not my friends. Although I’m not opposed to seeing my friends. In fact, I quite like some of them.
This scenario is peculiar, because I don’t usually to go to a concert when I really have no familiarity with the music. Not completely unheard of, however; 3Names convinced me to go see the Zac Brown Band with him a few years ago, even though I’d never heard of them, by paying for half my ticket, and he was right, it was a fun show. I do like to support things here in town, especially when they are uncommon, special, not your usual past-their-prime or not-yet-famous acts that pass through these parts. A few years back Ben Folds performed with the philharmonic and even though I dig him, I dig the Phil, and it definitely fell into that atypical for Fort Wayne category, I didn’t go. (This is the part where I am an idiot.) I had some legitimate reasons for not going, but mostly they were just stupid life things that I should have worked around. Everyone who went absolutely raved about how amazing it was. And I missed it. I could kick myself, still today. This is one of my biggest concert regrets in life, second only to missing Florence & the Machine open for U2. That was something I actually WENT TO, I just didn’t allow adequate time to get there. In my defense, East Lansing does not know how to move traffic. Jesus, people. It’s not like you have football games there all fall. Oh wait, it’s EXACTLY LIKE THAT. Learn how to move the freakin’ cars!
Anyway, I am determined not to have the same kind of concert regret again, and somehow I got it in my head that the Avett Brothers show would be something not to miss. I don’t know why exactly I thought that. But I bounced it off Klondike and he was game, and the tickets weren’t outrageous by today’s concert standards, so ok, let’s go. And the concert is Valentine’s Day. Klondike, act surprised by your present of concert tickets. 😀
So then I decided perhaps I should check them out ahead of time. By good fortune, Santa just gave me an iTunes gift card (I know, I’m Jewish, but iTunes! – who am I to say no?) so I downloaded “I and Love and You”. Oh, sweet Jesus, what took me so damn long?? I can’t remember the last time I loved a CD this much (even though it’s not a CD, it’s a collection of digital files, but I don’t know how to deal with that; I’m in the digital age, but reluctantly). Album. That might be the right word. Of course, that conjures up an image of a vinyl record. Whatever. Call it what you like, I’m in love.
I get to see them in concert in six weeks? Oh hells yeah. I’ll report back, but I fully expect it to be awesome.
This is the part where I get it right.
Oh yeah, and I just downloaded “The Carpenter”. Might as well keep going. 🙂
P.S. I tried to find the amazing Grammy performance for you, but no such luck, unless you want to watch a shitty video of someone watching it on TV. Seriously WHY do people shoot videos of their TV screen and post them on the internet?
WONKAFONKA 
Comments on: "Sometimes I am an idiot and sometimes I get it right." (9)
Two great CD’s. Where were you when they came to the Fort for the Wayne Calhoun concert series that YLNI helped host?
That was when I was an idiot.
Wait…lemme guess. You boycotted because Carmody put YLNI on the posters before the Board actually approved it! 🙂
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I almost said something along those lines. Come ON, you would totally have been opposed to that kind of ploy in your later years.
NOTHING like that happened in my later years! If it did, it was only because I was in control…and nobody else was aware of it. 😉
This is a good article and of course as you know I love the Avetts, but bite your freaking tongue for saying Bob Dylan is not amazing at all, ever. I’m tempted to post great Dylan performances all over your Facebook wall!!!! I assume you recognize the irony that there would be no Avetts or Mumfords without Bob.
As I said on FB, I’m not directing that at Dylan’s song-writing abilities. I think he’s horrendous to listen to, I really, truly do. Although sometimes one writes in an inflammatory way to get a rise out of people, and sometimes it works. 😉
I and love and you is one of my favorites ever
[…] Avett Brothers were in town last week, and as you may or may not recall, I got tickets for Klondike (and me) for Valentine’s Day. (He was totally fake-surprised.) Some […]