We have said it before and we will say it again, the historic Ed Sullivan Theater just simply brings out the best in an artist. It is as if all of the history of that stage is channeled into whoever is played there to give their best performance and a night everyone watching will remember. Tonight, North Carolina's Avett Brothers performed and it was one of those nights that will be talked about for some time.
Supporting their brand new album, Magpie and the Dandelion, The Avett Brothers, backed by a full band, showed why they have become critic and fan favorites over the last decade. The band who combine bluegrass, country, Americana, folk, rock, and classical have found themselves placed in various genres which explains their wide appeal. They have gained a wide variety of fans like Bob Dylan, Rick Rubin, and Chris Cornell. Over the last 12 years, the band have released eight albums and tonight did a career retrospect for fans watching in person and those streaming it in concert for the special Live On Letterman webcast. After all these years as a band, they do not look like rockstars, Scott Avett looks like he just came off the farm from wrangling cattle all day long and brother Seth looks like a Baptist preacher, however, appearances can be deceiving. With a full band, the sound of the Avett Brothers is clearly much more powerful, yet, the most intense moments of the night came when it was just the brothers on stage jamming together or with long time collaborators cellist Joe Kwon and bassist Bob Crawford. For the hour the band was on stage they treated fans to deep songs like "Salina," and "Manhattan Flower," but it was the singles "Vanity" and "I and Love and You" that not only got the most applause, they also sounded superb. This is a band whose success, 12 years in, is just the beginning.