The Avett Brothers :: Charles Wesley Godwin
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco
April 10th, 2025
Shot and Written by Story DeWeese
The Avett Brothers kicked off their first show for the new tour in San Francisco at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. The tour will span from California to New York to Florida with many stops in between. The Avett Brothers, consisting of brothers Scott and Seth Avett, are leaders in the folk genre. They released their debut album Country Was in 2002. Their music became widely known with the release of their 2009 album I and Love and You, and they have been nominated for three GRAMMYs. Last year, they released their self-titled album, which ventures more into country music rather than their typical, folk sound. This year, The Avett brothers released the songs and wrote the lyrics for the original Broadway soundtrack for the new musical Swept Away. If you enjoy artists such as Hozier, Noah Kahan or Mumford & Sons, youβll likely enjoy the harmonies and powerful sound from The Avett Brothers.
Before the show began, fans bonded over listening to The Avett Brothers music during their school days. Some had seen the Avett Brothers perform years earlier, so the concert felt like a coming home, a family reunion of sorts.
Charles Wesley Godwin started off the night with strong, uncontainable energy, which cascaded into the crowd and had fans in the nosebleeds cheering his name and singing every lyric along with him. Godwin invited the eldest Avett brother Scott to join him onstage to perform their song βHammer Down (feat. Scott Avett),β from Godwinβs 2025 EP Lonely Mountain Town. Avett mentioned that they first performed this song together at The Fillmore, the famous San Francisco music venue. Godwin ended his set with a cover of John Denverβs βTake Me Home, Country Roads,β which got the whole audience singing and dancing along. Before ending his set, Godwin described the Avett Brothers as being just as genuine and down-to-earth off the stage as they appear on stage. This was the perfect transition into The Avett Brothers set.
The energy rose even higher and the crowd cheered as The Avett Brothers took the stage. The Avett Brothers started off the evening with songs such as upbeat, fully-instrumental βThe D Bag Rag,β which included kazoos that were thrown into the crowd at the end of the song. The crowd sang along to βKick Drum Heartβ and clapped to the rhythm of the kick drum solos. During βNo Hard Feelings,β fans cheered and sang loudly along to the lyric βI have no enemiesβ¦.β After singing the lyric ββ¦Three words that became hard to say,β Scott asked the crowd βWhat were they?β to which they sang the chorus in reply, βI, and love, and you.β This type of call-and-response throughout the show made the audience not just observers, but active members of this live performance.
The lyrics and chord progressions shaped the overarching themes for the evening: vulnerability, freedom, and love. The Avett Brothers have an incredible talent for harmonizing. Both Scott and Sethβs voices blended seamlessly together to form a beautiful harmony: their signature sound. These harmonies held just enough melodic tension to relay a raw, emotional tension. As if their powerful vocals werenβt enough, there were many instrumental interludes with a wide variety of instruments. Band member Bob Crawford had a solo on the upright bass. Mike Marsh crushed the drums and Tania Elizabeth rocked out on the fiddle. Joseph Kwon on cello and Bonnie Avett Rini on keys even synchronized headbangs. From tossing tambourines to bandmates, to kicking a snare, to shredding the electric guitar, Sethβs on-stage energy was contagious. Similarly, Scott alternated between guitar and banjo, whistled melodies and jumped and danced across the stage. The brothers even shared the piano bench and played it together before starting the fan favorite βI and Love and You.β
Their sound transported the audience to simpler timesβmoments filled with warmth, nostalgia and human connection. If the sound of the Avett Brothers had a color, it would be the golden sun setting over the horizon as waves splash along the coast with the fresh scent of salt in the air. The brilliant harmonies reflected beautiful moments of the human experience such as the carefree feeling of enjoying the summer breeze from the passenger seat with the windows down on your way to the beach; the moment right after you kick off your shoes to run through the sun-warmed sand; the flickering orange flame reflecting off of your friendβs face at a bonfire as an laughter and the strum of guitar plays softly in the night. The evening felt like a transportation to a wonder of a childhood, filled with unconditional love, unwavering support and unlimited joy.
After the show, one fan, James, asked The Avett Brothers to sign a Mignonette vinyl and posted the results on Instagram. The Avett Brothers then signed their set lists, crumpled them up, and threw them out into the audience, where fans waited with outstretched arms. Fans then took to their Instagram stories posting βEpic,β βWhat a show! We had the best time!β, βTearing it UP!!!!β, βLost count how many times weβve seen them. They never disappointβ¦β and βThank you Avett Brothers! This was my 7th concert of yours! Every one has been brilliant! And we can tell that you put a lot of thought and effort into the shows!!β Through these messages, it was clear that The Avett Brotherβs unique sound, storytelling skills and commitment to being kind and spreading love has a powerful impact widely embraced by fans. The evening can only be described as a celebration of humanity. The songs perfectly blended upbeat dance music with softer, more reflective songs. All the while, focusing on themes of hope, freedom and love.
