The end of the world had been predicted by an established radio evangelist named Camping, and it seemed to be a matter of providence for the thousands of devoted followers who plowed across the sands of the Hangout Music Festival just in time to see The Avett Brothers. 20 minutes before the proposed rapture, the North Carolina bred brothers exploded onto stage with a healthy “good afternoon” and a rowdy rendition of “Tin Man”. This song was an indicator of things to come in the 90 minute set primarily festooned with songs from their 2009 release I and Love and You. The sharing community of front men also pulled many classic tracks such as “Will you Return”, “Paranoia in B Flat”, and “Shame” from their Emotionalism bag. As the proposed 6:00 pm end to the world approached, the band faced it with a cover of John Prine’s “Spanish Pipedream”. The courageous song implored all to “blow up your TV, throw away your paper, move to the country, build you a home”. In the last chorus they harmonized simple directions for clarity- “try an find Jesus (rapture, added by Seth Avett) on your own”. Without further observation of deliverance, the band then tore into a fervent version of “Kick Drum Heart”, complete with a Neil Youngish guitar solo by Scott Avett. As the beach balls bounced across the crowd, Seth’s pattering precision on keys transitioned directly into a rhythmic “Colorshow”. Towards the middle of the set the sun-drained band / crowd conglomeration easily slid into a “January Wedding”, and a spontaneous display of affection spread amongst the couples in the crowd. From there, cellist Joe Kwon slowly swooned all into the opening of a hypnotic “Go to Sleep> Down with the Shine”. Just as the setting sun seemed to be draining all remaining energy, drummer Jacob Edwards pounded into a “Pretty Girl from Cedar Lane” and the sands began to stir beneath the stomping stage again. Drenched in sweat, the band passionately swung and swirled through several more engaging numbers such as “And it Spread”, “I and Love and You”, and “Head Full of Doubt”. In tribute to the hospitable Alabama Coast, they came out for the encore playing a first-time bluegrass number now labeled “Pretty Girl from Gulf Shores”. The first few notes of the second encore song, “At the Beach”, brought the crowd to an expected roar, and every verse seemed to be perfectly placed in that moment on the sandy white shores of Alabama. By the time that “Talk on Indolence” was played for the final encore, the majority of the crowd was already in heaven, and it seemed that some sort of rapture had indeed occurred.
