lemonslush

Sometimes all it takes to brighten your mood is a good song, one that either punches you in the gut or makes you smile even after the last note is played.

I went to Memphis’ Minglewood Hall to see The Avett Brothers in concert Thursday night. It was a band I’d heard and liked in passing, that graces my Pandora stations on a regular basis. But I can sing along to only one song.

Several local Twitter folks mentioned they’d be attending the show, and though I had no one to walk in the door with, the cheap tickets and desire to see a great band live won me over.

I pow-wowed over coffee with a coworker beforehand at Otherlands, getting a pep talk that encouraged me to “strut” when I arrived at Minglewood, seek out the Twitter friends, show them who I really was and just how cool. I won’t say I strutted, but I was tracked down by two of the nicest Twitter kids out there, who just happen to be engaged to one another.

The show was the best I’ve ever attended, by far. The opening act, Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers, was more than enough to get me primed for the Avetts, replete with hot harmonica playing and energetic guitar strumming. I ended up purchasing one of their albums, since the Avetts are more easily found on the Internet.

But the main event was just… beyond words, really. I’ve liked the few Avett songs I’ve heard over the past year, but their live performance is leaps and bounds beyond that. They are everywhere at once, switching up instruments and singing so clear, so beautifully, I was blown away. They did sing St. Joseph’s, which is the one I can sing, so I was happy for that bit of familiarity.

They also sang a new one called January Wedding, which almost had me in tears. It was so sweet, so poignant, so simple about falling in love, having it feel just right without trying, knowing it will all work out. I’ve never felt that way myself. Every relationship has felt like a struggle. And sometimes it was because the spark wasn’t there, because we were trying to force something that just wasn’t going to happen. But often it was because I wasn’t OK myself, because I was forcing MYSELF to be something I wasn’t, to be perfect and beautiful and fun, when I just couldn’t be without wearing myself out from the stress of it all.

The Avett concert worked to lift my spirits quite a bit. To be around new people, to hear great music, to be inspired by the whole event – I’m so glad I went. It’s something I need to keep doing, to stretch my boundaries and live my life. I look forward to the next show.