Yesterday, March 6 Mumford and Sons kicked off the first of their three back-to-back-to-back shows at the Ryman Auditorium. The band and fans agreed that it felt like they were coming home; back to the “Mother Church of Country” where it all began. There was a special feeling in the air as the quartet from London took the historic stage. The show began as expected amazing and perfect. The band decided to follow their opening act, Abigail Washburn’s lead and play “Timeshel” acoustically on the edge of the stage. The crowd was completely silent leaning forward to hear the band without microphones.
Things took a turn during the middle of the show when Marcus forgot the lyrics to one of my favorites, “Thistle & Weeds.” It was an awkward moment that he played off with a few laughs blaming it on his electric guitar. “I was thinking holy crap, I’m playing an electric guitar in the Ryman and I lost my thought,” said the lead singer. Three great songs later, the audience had almost forgotten the fumble when the band began playing “Dust Bowl Dance” and again Mumford stumbled on the lyrics. This time, he coughed several times and then ran off stage after saying, “Excuse me.” This time fans were completely confused and no longer amused. The band continued to play and finally took a five minute break and followed Marcus off stage. They came back and Mumford blamed his running off stage on having to vomit. Guess “the first time at the Ryman” nerves got the best of him or maybe it was too much whiskey. He jokingly told the crowd to just keep singing if he forgot the words again and had to go vomit. The crowd should have kept singing the songs from the beginning to keep the show going. The band ended on a high note with a high energy version of “The Cave.” Still, fans wanted more after not hearing two of everyone’s favorite songs and not having an encore.
I’ve seen Mumford & Sons at their greatest at Bonnaroo in June 2012. As a die-hard and dedicated fan, I was not disappointed by the show, more by the fans not helping the band. It made for a unique concert experience and definitely a good story to tell. Hopefully, the lead singer is feeling better as he has two more shows to put on for anxious fans tonight and tomorrow. You can still get tickets from various sites and those always annoying guys on the corner. If you’re going to the show, you are going tolove the new music. I’m very excited for the band to release their second album. They have been working on it since August and I immediately fell in love with every song from the first line. Hopefully tonight they will truly do justice to the Ryman stage like I know they can!
Filed under: Events, Music, Nashville Tagged: 2012, First Show, London, March, March 6, Mumford and Sons, Music, Nashville, Ryman Auditorium, Sign No More, Three Nights
