The Avett Brothers Kick Off the Semester

---

Incredible. Exciting. Life-changing. Amazing. These are all words used to describe the Avett Brothers concert held at Holmes Convocation Center on September 9th. After speaking with my peers and other attendees of the Avett Brothers concert, it was apparent that the show left a lasting impression on the community.

The Avett Brothers are a group of small-town North Carolina boys who are blowing up the music scene. They specialize in an indie-folk/rock genre that can’t truly be defined. Their work ranges from upbeat and funky jams like “Ain’t No Man”, featured on their newest album True Sadness, and “Kick Drum Heart”, a well loved track on one of their past albums I and Love and You, to slower somber tunes and ballads like “Winter in My Heart” and “The Ballad of Love and Hate” found on an earlier album Emotionalism.

The band got the crowd riled up by starting on a playful note by playing an older tune called “the D-bag Rag,” ending with the group playing kazoos together and ceremoniously tossing their kazoos to the crowd, a souvenir equating to a guitar pick, which eventually would be thrown to the crowd as well. They followed this with a few older songs to calm the excitement of the home-state crowd, only to resume the starting energy by playing a newer single from their most recent album that hit the top charts this summer. As soon as they began any song, the crowd went wild. People were clapping, stomping, singing, and dancing while the entire band matched their energy and excitement.

After polling my friends and teachers, it was clear The Avett Brothers had left an impact on them. Many Avett Brothers fans, including myself claimed it was the best Avett Brothers concert they had been to, and others said it was the best concert they had ever been to. “I walked in knowing none of their music and left completely sold on them. They were amazing.” says Mrs. Collins, student council advisor and CTE teacher at Watauga. After polling my friends and other attendees of the show, a consensus had been made that it was fantastic. This concert was a great start to the semester, setting the tone for an exciting and eventful year.