Gentlemen of the Road

What a crazy weekend! Jake and I made the drive up to Troy, OH to Mumford & Sons' Gentlemen of the Road festival. The entire downtown Troy was turned in to a street festival with all of the local businesses having booths outside of their stores. Boy, did they get some business this weekend. All of the shops also decorated with mustaches and British flags for the occasion. There was such a fun, friendly vibe everywhere you went. You could tell Troy was very excited to host GOTR.

The concert grounds were just as festive and fun. They had food booths from all over the country, including my favorite Jeni's Ice Cream from Columbus, OH. The concert itself was on the Troy High School football field. At the height of the day's concerts, the entire field plus both sets of stands were covered with 30,000 fans (PS- Troy is a town of 25,000- it doubled this weekend!). We definitely didn't have the best view, but you couldn't match the atmosphere on both days (even with a slight rain storm that brought out our super cool ponchos- see picture below).

Some new-found favorites from the weekend were Willy Mason and Bear's Den. We also had an awesome time singing along to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Old Crow Medicine Show. In fact, I like both of them better now than I did before. Mumford was excellent as usual and even brought both Bear's Den and Old Crow on stage for a few songs. You could tell they were genuinely having a great time on stage. We were as well, along with 30,000 of our closest friends.

 

Big Easy Express

Jake and I are road tripping it to Troy, OH this weekend to see Mumford & Sons headline a weekend festival of folk bands called Gentlemen of the Road. I have been patiently counting down the days since this past spring for this! I love me some Mumford.

Adding to my excitement, we just watched the documentary "Big Easy Express" about a tour Mumford did with Old Crow Medicine Show and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros a few years ago. They traveled to each tour stop by train, jamming all through the night as they went. It's inspiring to see inside this tour and the collaboration between bands that happened.

I might have watched it twice this week. Just maybe. :)

Such Gentlemen

Their big Grammy win last night for Album of the Year reminded me why I love this band so much, especially their live show. Mumford & Sons, we will see you again in six months!

I Will Wait

Just in case you're as excited for the new Mumford & Sons album as I am, here's a little sample. 

Mumford and Sons concert

Oh.My.Goodness. That's all I can say after Jake and I saw Mumford & Sons live in Louisville on Monday night. We knew it was going to be a late night, but when one of your favorite bands that live on another continent come to town, you go!

We really enjoyed the opening bands (which sometimes is not the case at concerts). Mumford's stage setup was so neat, lots of cafe lights and candle-like spotlights. Their big screens on either side of the stage were in black and white, which gave the whole concert a vintage feel. Jake said he felt like he was in a Noir film.

The concert was made even better by the fact that we met up with our friends, Brad and Emily. It was so fun to catch up, and Emily and I swooned over Marcus Mumford the whole night. The concert was sold out (16,000 people!) and I now know that I am spoiled with the smaller shows we go to all the time. Definitely not used to the big crowds.

So now I'm still on the Mumford concert high and eagerly awaiting their new album that comes out next month! Can't wait!

 

Thursday Music Post: Mumford and Sons

I've had a huge band crush on Mumford & Sons for a while now. They're just so folksy and European and wonderful. I try to pace myself listening to their CD "Sigh No More," but it's no use. I listen to it while grading papers, in the car, and even bought the vinyl version for our record player. Every time I listen I find something else that strikes me. I can't WAIT for their next album!

Another reason to love them? They sing one mean hymn. "Come, Thou Fount" is one of my favorites.