EVERETT — It wasn’t that long ago that the thought of The Avett Brothers playing a spacious venue like Comcast Arena would have been unthinkable.
Once a three-piece outfit that featured a rocking banjo, a stand-up bass and two harmonizing brothers from North Carolina, The Avetts were much be
tter-suited for smaller clubs and outdoor stages like those at Seattle’s Bumbershoot festival or the Woodland Park Zoo.
But since adding a cellist, a full drum set and a keyboard to their touring sets, The Avett Brothers have morphed into an arena rock band capable of putting on a rousing performance like they did Friday night in downtown Everett.
Using their anthemic ballads, straight-ahead rock and, yes, plenty of the banjo that has become their staple, The Avett Brothers won over the less-than-capacity crowd and carried their energy throughout the show.
The band, which is now a five-piece outfit featuring brothers Scott and Seth Avett along with longtime bassist Bob Crawford, cellist Joe Kwon and drummer Jacob Edwards, played a well-rounded set that showed off the group’s diverse styles and signature energy.
It didn’t take long for Scott Avett to display his musical acumen, as he played five different instruments during the first four songs alone.
He opened the show with a solo version of the song “Murder in the City,” playing acoustic guitar while signing the band’s most appropriate line: “There is nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name.”
Scott then sat down at the keyboard while his bandmates joined him for the arena-friendly “Head Full of Doubt” off the band’s latest album, 2010’s “I And Love And You.” He finally picked up the banjo, and played harmonica, when the band broke into “All Fall Down,” then added kick-drum to his banjo-playing on “I Killed Sally’s Lover.”
The Avett Brothers seemed to generate the most excitement on their hopped-up banjo numbers, which helped bring Comcast Arena alive through the early part of the show. The siblings’ passion for their music was obvious throughout the bouncy tunes, and those in attendance quickly followed their lead.
Once the Avetts had the crowd hooked, they broke into a new number, “Once and Future Carpenter,” which featured both brothers playing acoustic guitars and singing.
That song carried the signature line: “If I live the life I’m given, I won’t be scared to die.”
Watching The Avett Brothers play their unique brand of music, while getting rewarded for it with bigger and bigger venues, one can’t help but to believe that they’re living life to its fullest.
Ohio native Jessica Lea Mayfield, a 21-year-old crooner who has been performing since the age of 8, opened the show with 40 minutes of rockified country laments that eased the crowd into the headline act. Her biggest applause came midway through the opening number, when the microphone finally kicked on and her powerful vocals were no longer washed-out by the instruments.
Mayfield played nine songs, including the radio-friendly “For Today,” while strumming an acoustic guitar between three bands members who gave the mix of sparse ballads and slow rockers some depth.
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