WHAT: CONCERT
WHERE: CMAC
WHEN: FRIDAY, JULY 26TH, 2013
WHO: THE AVETT BROTHERS & GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS
Last Friday night presented the best concert of the entire year at CMAC, an outdoor music venue located in the city of Canandaigua. Folk country group the Avett Brothers performed with Grace Potter & The Nocturnals in one of only two dates of the entire year the two bands would play together. Being lucky enough to see these two groups , who are longtime friends, play together is sensational enough as each has their own unique sound. Everything about the concert last Friday night was perfect. Together, The Avett Brothers & Grace Potter & The Nocturnals proved they are extremely talented musicians that hold bright and promising futures.
The
weather Friday night was indeed splendid with temperatures hovering around 80
Degrees Faranheit and a near cloudless sky. CMAC was packed and the shell almost sold
out with only a few seats remaining with a nicely packed lawn. The excitement
in the air was buzzing as everyone there knew they were in store for one of the
most anticipated concerts of the year. Unusual for CMAC, Avett Brothers
& Grace Potter & The Nocturnals were only acts performing last Friday night
with no opening band. This in turn lead to longer set lists by each group who
need this time in order to truly jam and string out their tunes. Long jam
sessions are a standard mandatory procedure for each group, so it was necessary
that they needed the extra time.
At
around 7PM Grace Potter & The Nocturnals took the stage. Being a past student of
St. Lawrence University, and currently living in Vermont, Grace Potter has often toured
Syracuse and it was about time to see her play at a huge outdoor venue like
CMAC. Even Grace quoted ‘We’ve played in rusty old bars & clubs for the
past ten years, so its nice to be able to play at a huge room like this’. Nice
indeed as CMAC holds roughly around 14k people during a sold out show. Always
one for putting on dazzling appearances, Grace showed up on stage with a sparkling
beautiful white dress letting everyone know she’s the driving force of the
Nocturnals.
However,
the musicians of the Nocturnals are all extremely gifted. Guitarist Scott
Turner has been with the group since the beginning and his guitar work blasted
away into the evening flowing perfectly wit Grace’s voice. What’s wonderful
about the Nocturnals is that there music flows together so perfectly and in
sync with drums, base and guitar. Friday night’s show was no exception as the
group continued to play well over an hour, moving through singles ‘Stars’, ‘Medicine’
and ‘IF I was from Paris’. The group also included classic and great songs like
‘Nothing but the Water parts 1 & 2’. As usual during their performances,
GPN also played a cover song. This time they managed to perform an impressive
version of an old Hank Williams tune.
In all,
Grace Potter’s set at CMAC was fantastic. GPN are an amazing group of musicians
who have so far put on three albums to date with all of them truly inspiring
pieces of music. The band is experiencing more and more and more with each
album. Their popularity is ever so increasing as they continue to tour year
after year with a schedule comparing to Widespread Panic & The Allman
Brothers. They are a group well worth seeing several times, and one can never
be tired of going back and seeing another show as their set list changes every time.
The girl behind Kenny Chesney’s ‘You and Tequila’ Grace Potter has an
incredible voice and awe inspiring stage presence at every one of her shows.
Set list:
1) Medicine
2) Ah Mary
3) Never Go Back
4) Low Road
5) Timekeeper
6) Apologizies
7) One Short Night
8) Devil’s Train (Hank Williams Cover
9) Stars
10) Sugar
11) Nothing but the Water Part 1
12) Part 2
13) The Lion, the Heart & The Beast
14) Paris (Oh Lala)
Rating at CMAC: 4 out of 5 Stars
****
It was nearing dusk when the Avett Brothers graced the stage on Friday, July 26th at CMAC. Like Grace Potter, everyone was up off their seats. The excitement and energy bouncing off the stage and the ground that night blended like peas and carrots. From the first song, one could tell they were in for one hell of a performance.
Hailing from North Carolina, the Avett Brothers are a true American folk band. They also have ounces of country, bluegrass and rock mixed into their music. When you think of Appalachia people and music, you can listen to these guys and be reminded of the rich heritage of that area. The band consists of two brothers, Seth& Scott Avett and Bob Crawford, who plays a double stand up base. They’ve been playing acoustic style music since they formed in the early 2000’s, performing at various college night parties and hangouts. Ten years later, and an impressive seven albums and LPs, the band is headlining music festivals and selling out amphitheaters as a headliner.
The massive crowd stood up and cheered with excitement as the Avett Brothers pounded into the night with their first song, which happened to be their first single from their 2012 album, The Carpenter. Everyone started dancing in the crowd and they did not stop until the last song of the show. It’s simple, the Avett Brothers music is so fast paced (even though most of it’s acoustic) and charming that while listening to them live, you really have to dance to it. Their sound live is significantly better and greater than on the albums. The music is not as stressed, and flows more freely throughout the band members and into the crowd. You can tell the Avett Brothers are a band based on their live performance as they give out so much positive energy and overall good feeling in concert.
The crowd was loving the show. By the third song, everyone was clapping as well as dancing. Unlike most concerts, the clapping continued throughout the entire concert, during every tune from beginning to end. By the end of the show, no doubt people’s hands were tired and unfortunately clapped
out. It was worth it because the clapping just blended into the Brothers music perfectly, providing more dance friendly tunes. During the concert, the Brothers let stand up bassist Bob Crawford take the stage. He impressively provide a near fifteen minute base solo that rocked into the
night.
The Avett Brothers provided an impressive set list, which included their phenomenal song ‘Head full of Doubt’ with singles ‘Kick Drum Heart’ and ‘February Seven’. They played a full two hours. By the end of the concert, a special feeling embraced everyone as they knew they had witnessed an amazing performance. It was a surprising turn out as around half the people in the crowd were in their forties or older, but yet again, the Avett Brothers are a blue grass type folk group.
The Avett Brothers provided an impressive set list, which included their phenomenal song ‘Head full of Doubt’ with singles ‘Kick Drum Heart’ and ‘February Seven’. They played a full two hours. By the end of the concert, a special feeling embraced everyone as they knew they had witnessed an amazing performance. It was a surprising turn out as around half the people in the crowd were in their forties or older, but yet again, the Avett Brothers are a blue grass type folk group.
The Avett Brothers charmed CMAC last Friday night with their country blue grass folk music. With an album coming out almost every year, they have no signs of slowing down. The next dozen years will no doubt bring success to this beloved North Carolina band. Their last released studio album, The Carpenter, is in stores now and available to
purchase on ITUNES. Like Grace Potter, they are worth going to see live if not once, but several times. The Avett Brothers are a true American folk band paving the way for the Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men, The Head & The Heart and many other artists in that genre. They are extremely talented
musicians and should deserve a listen to by any folk music fan.
Set list #2
1)
Live & Die
2)
Go to Sleep
3)
The Fall
4)
Slight Figure of Speech
5)
Distraction #74
6)
AT the Beach
7)
Head full of Doubt
8)
A Gift of Melody Anne
9)
Winter in my Heart
10) Just
a closer walk with Thee (Traditional Cover)
11) No
Place to Fall (Townes Van Zandt Cover)
12) Paranoia
in Bd Major
13) Kick
Drum heart
14) Geraldine
15) February
Seven
16) Laundry
Room
17) Gimme
a Kiss
18) Talk
on Indolence
19) Life
Encore:
Pretty Girl from Chili
I and love and You
Rating at CMAC : 5 out of 5 stars *****
Concert Overall Rating : 5 out of 5 stars
PHOTO CREDIT JUSTIN TARBELL
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