June 28: The Avett Brothers
I know what you’re thinking. Don’t The Avett Brothers ruin my life every week with their soulful sound and poetic lyrics? Don’t be absurd, of course they do. But this week is different. This week is special. This week I saw them in concert.
Now, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen them in concert, and it certainly won’t be the last, but it was possibly the best show I’ve seen them put on yet. From the moment they walked onto the stage they brought an electric energy to the indoor arena and captivated the audience from first song to last. They covered a broad spectrum of their extensive catalog, balancing high energy rock jams and acoustic ballads with ease. As I overheard someone saying after the concert ended: “I mean, I like them well enough, but that was just a great show.” And he was right.
Seeing The Avett Brothers in concert is such an intense experience. It’s moving in a very visceral way for me, pushes me to be better — to write more poetry, to apply to grad school, to pursue my passions. There’s just something about watching them perform that brings the best out in me. 
Maybe it’s the passion they have for music, or the honesty of their lyrics. Maybe it’s just because experiencing live music is enchanting in a way that merely listening to a recording can never be. In any case, The Avett Brothers live are a force to be reckoned with.
There’s a quote from John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars that I think really sums up my feelings about this whole situation. Though the quote directly discusses books, I feel that the concept is transferrable to all forms of art:
“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”
So I’m sorry if you ever meet me and we start talking about music, because you’re going to get an earful about my deep and abiding love of The Avett Brothers. I’ll also probably make you watch concert videos until you want to punch me in the face. Suffice it to say that you’ll suddenly understand what John Green is talking about. I have that evangelical zeal. I have it bad. So here it goes: if you’ve never seen The Avett Brothers live, please do yourself a favor and rectify that as soon as possible (even if it’s just watching concert videos on YouTube). There’s just something magical about their music, about being in the crowd while they play “I and Love and You” and listening to the entire arena singing the final lines of the song. It’s life ruining at its finest.
I think my favorite part was the looks on the band’s face during I And Love And You. It was the giddiest of smiles when the crowd sang, “I And Love And You” to the band.
Also, I loved it when Seth smiled. His smile lit up the whole business center. THE WHOLE BUSINESS CENTER!!!