Day 14 - Mumford and Sons

I know how much everyone on this board loves them some Mumfy, so I figured I'd share my experience at their surprise show in NYC last night. They had announced the show at some point Sunday evening, and tickets went on sale at 9AM yesterday. I got up early to try and snag a ticket, and was lucky enough to manage to do so in time (thank you Google Autofill!!!). Tickets were sold out by 9:01. I had to scramble and plead to get my shift covered for the night, but was lucky enough to be able to do so. My day had begun!

The venue was Le Poisson Rouge, a small little 700-person venue that reminded me a bit of the Korova Milkbar from A Clockwork Orange. I got in line around 6:15 (doors opened at 7), and was surprised to see only 50-75 people in front of me (I'm terrible with guesstimating head counts though). They had people with clipboards going around checking IDs to see if you bought a ticket - they didn't give out any physical tickets for the event. After the doors open they herded everyone downstairs to the cell phone check-in area since there were no recording devices allowed at the show. So I check in my phone and Kindle (did some reading on the train), and entered the general admission area. It was one of the smallest venues I've been to - probably comparable to Underground Arts in Philly, if anyone's been there - but it was nice. This is when I realized that I had two hours to kill with no gadgety device to occupy my time. Because God forbid I actually talk to people. So I order a couple beers because I didn't want to lose my spot (about five feet from the stage), but soon realized that now I'm the guy double fisting beers standing alone not talking to anyone. NOT AWKWARD AT ALL. So I start talking to the people around me, sharing our collective excitement for the upcoming show. Being one of the first groups of people to ever hear this music was pretty exhilarating.

And they come out. In addition to change their music style, they've changed their aesthetic a bit as well. Marcus and Ted looked the same, but Ben was completely clean-shaven (bad move, IMO), and Winston had grown his hair out down past his shoulders (good move, IMO). And no old-timey vests - just t-shirts, and I think Winston was in a suit.

It's hard to do too much of a write-up simply because all the material was new, but I definitely enjoyed the show. I think that their single "Believe" is a bad representative of the album as whole - it is indeed Coldplay-esque, but it doesn't come across that way live (and I've seen Coldplay live before - they were playing with M&S then, oddly enough). Mumford's new stuff is definitely very Mumfordy. If you like their dynamic of slow buildups to raucous climaxes, you'll like their new album. There's still plenty of harmony and melody, though I didn't find the other songs quite as radio-friendly as "Believe". I remember really liking "Monster", and also either "Just Smoke" or "Broad-Shouldered Beasts". They were right in the middle of the set so it's hard to remember which is which, but I remember singing along with the choruses by the end of the song. "The Wolf" also stood out as one that's more hard-rock inspired than the rest of their set.

I was doubling over from bladder fullness by the end of the set, and had no choice but to beeline for the bathroom when they walked offstage for their encore. I wanted so bad to stay through the whole thing, but by that point I had undone my pants and belt because I had to pee so bad. Then I peed through the entire first song of their encore. These details are completely unnecessary but I just wanted you all to know. The last song of their encore was "Only Love", and it was the one that sounded most traditionally Mumfordy to me. I loved it, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them close their set with it at Roo.

Overall, I definitely support their new sound. I don't think that Marcus's voice blends as well with electric instruments as it does with acoustic ones, but I think I'll get used to it. I enjoyed watching Winston play guitar throughout the show - not all of it was as uninspired as the solo was on "Believe". Some of it was though, and I think he could really take their music up a notch if he had more interesting solos. I'm very much looking forward to listening to their new album when everything is sonically clean, and not muddled through the venue's sound system. Sometimes I couldn't even make out what Marcus was saying, which made it harder to connect to the music. Overall it was a solid B+ show. I'm fairly sure I'm gonna try for the pit at Roo this year.

Side note: if you have to pee really bad, do NOT hang your keys up on the hook in the bathroom stall, because you might forget about them and leave the venue without them.

I listened to the album on my flight home from Memphis and my first impression is that it's very solid. I'll definitely give it a few more listens but I'm definitely a fan.

I've listened to it numerous times and love it. Right now it's a toss up between this album and the new MMJ album. I think Waterfall gets a slight edge because a few of the songs are rising through my all time MMJ favorites.

Don't get me wrong, MMJ is my favorite by a lot. I was only referring their respective new albums. They're both really solid. They're my top 2 with Alabama Shakes at 3. Although I do admit I've been slacking on new music this year.