The Avett Brothers with Blackberry Smoke Azura Amphitheater Thursday, August 21

The Avett Brothers have been traveling for 25 years, but this was my first time seeing them live. Each song felt like it bloomed in a different way. Some sent the crowd into a soft sway, while others were anthemic, personal, a slow build that lands in your gut. Even when the cello wasn’t ready, the cello player, Joe Kwon, was. He fixed the scroll and peg only to wrap it around his neck and play as hard as he could, voices layering over each other like the wind pushing in two directions.

Tania’s fiddle caught the golden stage lights just right while every note she played left trails in the air. Scott played all his instruments, banjo, guitar, and piano, seamlessly. In several photos, I had to look back to see

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