The Mumford & Sons show at First Avenue was the hottest ticket in town for months. The first time they came to play here, it was in a small bar and was poorly attended. The next time they came, they played a slightly larger venue. Word of mouth and heavy rotation on local indie radio assured the show sold out in little time. Given their previous show here, the band arrived at that show quite surprised to find not only a full house but an excited one that knew all of their songs. That show quickly became part of local lore. It was no surprise to anyone then what happened when tickets went on sale for the show at the legendary First Avenue. It sold out in ten minutes flat.
I was lucky enough to be invited by a dear friend to the First Avenue show. It was a huge honor. Not just because of the exclusivity of tickets, which were selling for five times face value outside the venue, but also because I don’t get to go too many concerts anymore. Our life with a young toddler and a tight budget does not allow it.
Everything about the evening and the show was magical. The time spent with a dear friend who I care for deeply and do not get to spend near enough time with. The connection between the band, who by now understood full well the love this city feels for them, and the audience ready to shower them with adoration.
It is a rare concert where every single person in an audience of fifteen-hundred knows and sings along to every word, of every song, with as much gusto as the performers on stage. But even as rare as this is, there was a single musical moment that I have never seen or experienced before and will never forget.
It was during the song “I Gave You All” that the true magic hit me. In this song, there is a anthemic yet quiet chorus. I stopped long enough during the chorus to listen to the rest of the audience sing along. It was only then did I realized the truth.
The entire audience was not simply signing. They were singing in perfect harmony!
“I gave you aaaaaaallll! I gave you aaaaaaaalll!”
There is a powerful connection between us all. One that reveals itself in these shared moments and experiences. One that unites us and pushes us towards perfection. Sometimes in conjunction with, and sometimes despite, our abilities. One that reminds us that if fifteen hundred strangers can sing like this, we can live like this.
[haiku url=”http://patrickrhone.com/audio/Mum-Sons-IGaveYouAll.mp3″ title=”Mumford & Sons – I Gave You All – Live at First Avenue”]
The audio above is the song from the concert referenced in the post. A big thanks to my friend Matt Storlie who captured it for me from The Current’s audio stream of the event.
Also, consider this my submission for the Reverb 10 prompt from December 3rd: Moment