Review of Avett Brothers’ show at Granada Theater in Dallas last night
by Nick Rallo
There were two indoor thunderstorms last night at the Granada Theater. One came from the audience. If you grew up in Texas, a DFW thunderstorm was a rite of passage. The kinds where the thunder claps were so loud you thought, “Well, I’m going to die.” If you’re like me, you stood outside doing the old count-the-seconds-in-between-thunder-claps to determine the storm’s distance from you. I found myself doing it again last night at the Granada, except not to thunder, but to the huge, hairy screams of The Avett Brothers fans. One piercing scream was followed by another. The storm must have been pretty damn close.
Seriously, are The Avett Brothers that big? How did that happen? They’re a punk-folk band! Is it their awesome beards?
It makes sense the audience went insane; The Avett Brothers recent release of I and Love and You is much more ballady and popular than their other, Ramonesian, wild ass string punk LP’s (see Four Thieves Gone). Most of the night the audience howled with love to the new I and Love and You tracks: the lovely little folk tune “January Wedding”; the Grease-like nostalgia of Kick Drum Heart; the feverous “Slight Figure of Speech.” Before the encore, the audience called The Avett Brothers back with boot stomps.
The second indoor thunderstorm at the Granada came from The Avett Brothers early songs. Seth and Scott Avett were alone on the stage for the honest, Merle Haggard impression of “When I Drink.” It was genuine and hair raising. Bassist Rob Crawford and cellist Joe Kwon were jumping and thundering beats during “Shame.” These songs are the best reason see an Avett Brothers show, and I’m going to guarantee it’s unlike anything you’ve seen.
If you get the chance to see them live, make it a priority, but beware the thunderous singing audience. Every lyric is epic, and every banjo is loud.