(photo credit here)

One of the benefits of being a music fan and living in Cincinnati is the close proximity of other metro areas around us that sometimes will bring in a tour in that is not making a stop in our beloved hometown. This past Sunday was such an example as the Avett Brothers and The Low Anthem made a stop in The Egyptian Room at the Murat in Indianapolis.

The Murat is quite an interesting complex, almost a little piece of Egypt in the middle of America. Aside from the architecture and décor, they also have two venues. There is the Egyptian Room which was where we were headed and the Theatre which featured Harry Connick Jr. on the same evening. While the theatre is much grander, the Egyptian Room felt a little like a hotel ballroom. Even still, the Avett Brothers put out my favorite album of last year, and so this was a great chance to see them for the first time.

Before the Avett Brothers played, it was time for The Low Anthem who put on a terrific show this past fall at Southgate House when they opened for Langhorne Slim. Even though I walked away enamored with The Low Anthem that night, there was concern that they would get a bit lost in a bigger and less attentive room. This proved true through the first four or five songs as they opened with some quiet numbers. Just as they were starting to lose the room, they dropped two rocking songs on the crowd which brought everyone right back. “Home I’ll Never Be” and “The Horizon is a Beltway” were so loud and raucous that they were barely recognizable to even seasoned ears, and everyone actually stopped and paid attention.

From that point on, The Low Anthem brought the set home. Closing out with songs that were on the “Oh My God, Charlie Darwin” album as well as “This God Damn House” from their first album they won the room back over. Standing out especially was Jocie Adams who was much more present lyrically than the Southgate House show. Without a doubt, this band is the most rewarding when everyone is paying attention but that is tricky as an opener in a big room.

Given the volume in the room for The Low Anthem as they played, it was clear that most everyone was there solely for The Avett Brothers, and that proved to be the point as they launched into their show. Opening with “Paranoia in B-Flat Major” a few things became evident quickly: the amount of energy brought to the stage was incredibly high and they were extra thoughtful in their choices of songs. As Scott Avett sang “… a place I thought I’d never be / Is people looking back at me” and the place went crazy, one final thing became clear. The Avett Brothers have a rabid group of fans that know, love, and sing along to almost everything.

The first part of the set was probably meant for people like me (the first timer) as it was heavy on songs from the newest album, I and Love and You. Some of the early highlights included “Laundry Room”, “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise”, and “Tin Man”. The stage was soon left to Seth Avett who played a solo version of “The Ballad of Love and Hate” which silenced the room, and for good reason. The song is an incredible lyrical story and because of the solo performance, it made the song that much more powerful. As the line came “but the clock in the kitchen is slow” Seth brought that to life by slowing the song to a crawl.

The middle of the set featured older and lesser known songs, which I didn’t know as well, but the long time Avett Brothers fans knew every word. These guys have been putting out albums for ten years now and have been building their fan base show by show, and it has really paid off. One thing that they haven’t lost though is that older fan, and I think it is due to the thought and energy they put into their shows. I had heard going in that they were a great live band and midway through the set it couldn’t have been more true.

The solid musicianship carried and thoughtful lyric adaptations continued through the remainder of the set. They finished out the main set with a mix of new favorites (“I and Love and You”) as well as old favorites (“Murder in the City”) which really got the crowd into a frenzy. The closer for the night was an old song called “Salvation Song” which came out back in 2004 and put a cap on the night with the closing line: “We came to leave behind the world a better way.” Mission accomplished.

Leaving Murat, I walked in with a much different question than the one I walked in with. I entered wondering what made these guys so special that they could build such a solid following and I left amazed that I had missed the boat for so long. Are they bluegrass? No, they aren’t. They are thoughtful and talented musicians that play extraordinarily well crafted songs which will likely stand the test of time. And yes, they do have a banjo.

-Dave Rolfes