Mumford & Sons
Arrow Through the Heartland Tour – April 24, 2016
Bankers Life Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, IN
I’ll admit that Mumford & Sons isn’t the typical band that I review. Clearly we gravitate towards the harder stuff on this site, but that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate great music of all kinds, and I think Mumford & Sons clearly fits that mold. The band is full of talented musicians who really love what they do, and their quick ascent to worldwide fame indicates that they struck a chord with a much broader fan base than anyone expected. I’ve heard so many good things about their live shows, and decided a long time ago that I needed to go see for myself if they were as captivating as I’ve been told. I finally got that opportunity when Indianapolis was given the last spot on the recent Arrow Through the Heartland Tour. The show got pushed back a day due to the Pacers schedule, but went off without a hitch on a Sunday evening, and it was undoubtedly a sight to be seen.
The opening act, singer/song writer Blake Mills from California, was surprisingly engaging and enjoyable to watch. Mills is primarily known for his work producing music (most famously the Alabama Shakes album in 2015), but his guitar playing is really top notch, and he has a solo album that is pretty solid. I spent the majority of his show enthralled by Mills’ incredible guitar work, and by drummer Stuart Johnson, who is an older guy that was just having an absolute blast up there. For those who enjoy the singer/songwriter genre, I have to imagine Mills is one of the best. It wouldn’t be the last time we got to see Mills that night – the three guys in his band were on stage for a good portion of the headlining show.
After Blake Mills, the place really came alive in anticipation, and Mumford came out to arena-sized screams and wasted no time settling in. They started the night by diving right into their latest album – four of their first six song were off of the 2015 album Wilder Minds, including the opening two tracks, Snake Eyes and Believe. Both of these tracks were fantastic as openers, and really set the bar for the rest of the show. Also included in that first group was the song Thompkins Square Park, which had so much more life in person than it does on the album, and gave me major chills when I heard it live.
Throughout the show, Mumford did a great job creating a dynamic experience – they constantly toyed with pace, volume, and intensity to keep the show interesting. Often times, a song started off small, focused on Marcus’s raspy vocals and one or two instruments strumming or tapping quietly to a calm audience holding up their cell phone lights. As the song continued, it would slowly build, almost inconspicuously, until somehow we’d arrive at a place with instruments blazing, four or five part vocal harmonies, and everybody in the crowd is dancing and screaming. Somehow, they grew the song into this massive piece without anyone seeing it coming. Many people love the acoustic stuff that Mumford does, but it was in these big moments that I became really enthralled watching them play – when they stepped back from the mic for an instrumental that caused Marcus to play so hard he had to close his eyes and contort his body, or when pianist Ben Lovett had to stand up from his piano stool so he could bang the keys harder. It was masterful to watch.
It was also in these moments that it became abundantly clear that Mumford has completed the transition from small-time four piece to full blown arena sensation. The show featured countless instruments, and the way that Mumford finds musical space for so many different instruments all at once was impressive. This show frequently featured nine or ten people on stage, including the primary four band members, a drummer, a horn section, a killer violinist, Blake Mills, and one or two of his other band members. (I’d love to compare the instrument count between Mumford & Sons and Dropkick Murphys). There were times that I couldn’t figure out what the featured instrument was, because they were seamlessly transitioning the primary melody from the electric guitar to the violin to the banjo to the keyboard, all while featuring three or four part harmonies. The music just had incredible depth and character, and reminded me of the very core of the word ‘music’.
The apex of the show for me came in the form of a four song run about halfway through the set:
- Coming off of another great song, Marcus strummed a few chords on the acoustic guitar, and smiled as he leaned into the microphone and said “Are you ready to do some dancing with us Indy?” Amidst screams, they launched in to The Cave, which features such brilliant marriage of folk and rock that it was almost impossible not to dance. In the middle of this song, when Marcus yelled “I know my call DESPITE MY FAULTS! AND DESPITE MY GROWING FEARS” – it was the loudest Bankers Life would get all night.
- They followed that up with Little Lion Man, which is actually my favorite Mumford & Sons song and was fantastic. I particularly loved watching Ted Dwane play the stand up bass during this song.
- Next, they played Ditmas, which was made memorable by the fact that Marcus grabbed his wireless mic and ran through the crowd standing on the floor at the venue, and eventually ran his way all the way up through the first section of seats. The crowd loved it and he made a lot of fans pretty happy with that move – including us. As he ran back through on his way to the stage, he passed right by us. (I missed a high five by about 6 inches)
- Finally, they played Dust Bowl Dance, which featured Marcus singing while he played the drums, and featured the best musical breakdowns of the night, with Winston Marshall on Banjo/Electric Guitar and Ben Lovett on piano in dueling fashion. It was erratic and loud and crazy and absolutely awesome. At the end of the show, the stage exploded with fireworks and Marcus kicked over his drum set.
When these songs ended, the stage lights went out Mumford & Sons walked off the stage. There was another commotion among the people standing on the floor of the venue, and we all quickly realized that the band was walking through the crowd again towards the back of the venue, where another tiny stage was set up behind the sound booth. You can’t get more stripped down than this – the four of them stood in a circle around a single mic and Marcus strummed an acoustic guitar while the four of them sang Reminder and Cold Arms. I was standing so close that I heard the vocals and guitar louder from the people than I did from the arena sound system. It felt like I was at a campsite with Mumford & Sons sitting around a fire, listening to them play music. It was an incredible 180 from the previous set of songs, where the energy couldn’t have been higher.
Once they finished those two songs, it was back to the main stage for the encore set, which started with a couple stellar covers, including Bruce Springsteen’s I’m On Fire, and a crazy version of You Shook Me All Night Long, with a random audience member on vocals. I Will Wait and The Wolf finished out the show in rare form, and with that, my Mumford & Sons live introduction was complete.
Overall I was really impressed with how far Mumford has come since their humble beginnings. This show gave you a great indication of how much their show can expand without losing some of those folk roots that first got them recognized. Another thing that was very prevalent throughout this show was how much fun they were having. Their musicianship was incredible, but it wasn’t the least bit stiff. Sometimes it’s OK to miss a note or two because you are laughing at your drummer or pointing at someone in the crowd or taking the shot that your guitar tech just handed you. Mumford struck the perfect balance of being professional and being approachable, and because of that, we all felt a part of the experience.
In other words….Fantastic show.
Cheers!