Americana and roots band, The Avett Brothers returned to Central New York this past weekend, and brought a soulful reprisal of songs spanning their 25-year career of songwriting.
From the first lyrics gently sung out from Beak & Skiff’s stage, The Avett Brothers managed to capture and hold at rapt attention the almost sold out crowd on Saturday, June 7. Promising unconditional love in their 2024 release We Are Loved, the duet quietly but solidly reassured the crowd that the night would be full of kindness and safety, and then delivered on that promise with affirming crowd favorite after crowd favorite.
Saturday was the second night for The Avett Brothers in the apple orchards, and their vibe matched the natural setting surrounding them perfectly. The sun slowly drifted behind the horizon ironically during “Morning Song,” and the grass underneath released an earthy sweet smell on cue during “Ain’t No Man.” The venue drips country beauty, which fit the band’s sound and lyrical messaging.
Beak & Skiff, a working farm and apple orchard, was not only impressively clean and well maintained, but their team served up delish food that was soaked with love, including pulled pork with apple bbq sauce and locally-pressed honey crisp ciders. All were fairly priced, by the way, which made it feel rather surreal after visiting bigger venues.
And the music was fun.
The band’s joyful banjo and guitar picking, complete with a cellist and fiddler, literally set the audience springing through the first few songs. Even The Avett Brothers’ band members were bouncing with the beat, smiling and joking with their delivery of lyrics and conducting sing a long moments with the crowd.
The band covered Billy Joel’s “Moving Out (Anthony’s Song),” which was both a pleasant surprise and delightfully well-played. They moved from hit to hit, very easily playing from multiple albums to engage old and new fans alike. The setlist’s volume was impressive, topping out at 25 songs – leaving all who hungrily listened fully sated.
The final song of the night, “Salvation Song,” was the bookend to their opener “We Are Loved” in message. The Avett Brothers have clearly reconnected to their spirits, and the soulful music danced through the message of forgiveness with fidelity.
“We came for salvation, we came for family, we came for all that’s good that’s how we’ll walk away,” the harmonies crooned the famous song. “We came to break the bad, we came to cheer the sad, we came to leave behind the world a better way” hung in the air as they closed the night.
And with that, they accomplished their goals. The Avett Brothers at Beak & Skiff was a soul-quenching night. When they swing back this way again, because they will, take the drive up the hill to the orchard and let them make your world a bit better, even for a few hours.
