Mumford and Sons – New Orleans, LA
I wouldn’t wait around outside in the stifling Louisiana humidity before a concert for 6+ hours for just any band. But last September I did just that. And it was worth it. I scored a 5th row, dead center view for the Mumford & Sons concert in New Orleans.
The Mumford & Sons concert was on September 16, 2013 at Mardi Gras World in New Orleans. But, it was originally supposed to be in June of that year. Due to one of the band members having surgery, it had to get pushed back to September. And thank god, because having to stand outside for that long in June in South Louisiana is some ancient form of torture, I’m pretty sure. Don’t get me wrong, it was still HOT. I mean it’s still South Louisiana, after all. But at least it wasn’t JUNE hot.
And even though it was still really hot outside, this show still stands out as one of the best live shows I’ve been to. Part of that was due to the fact that the stage was overlooking the river as the sun was setting. Another part of that was due to the energy of the crowd. But it was mostly due to Mumford & Sons ENERGY on stage. They looked like they were having a BLAST up there.
I’ve been to some shows where, although the band was great, you can tell that the band’s just going through the motions. That they play that same setlist night in and night out. That they’re kind of sick of it. And that’s understandable. They perform the setlist so, so well, and yet there’s a certain spark missing. But for Mumford & Sons, it seemed like this was the first time they were playing these songs. There was such an energy in their performance, like they hadn’t played these songs hundreds of times before. Like we were the first crowd they were performing these song for.
At the end of the show, they were joined by local legends Preservation Hall Jazz Band. They played When the Saints Go Marchin’ In, one of New Orleans’s many anthems. Marcus Mumford sat on the side of the stage with a beer in one hand and a tambourine in the other. He had a huge grin on his face the whole time. The banjo player Winston Marshall and the string bassist Ted Dwane played along with Preservation Hall. At one point they even broke out into dance. You could tell they were genuinely having a BLAST and that they really, really loved the jazz music typical to New Orleans.
The energy and joy radiating from them onstage was palpable. Maybe they were happy to be back on the road after their unexpected break. Or maybe they just loved New Orleans and the atmosphere of the show. But I think it comes down to the fact that this British quartet just truly love their music and they love sharing it with the world. They switched around instruments, they interacted with the crowd, they complimented New Orleans. And they had all of our undivided attention from start to finish. Their joy and happiness overtook us, as well.
Check out Mumford & Sons here and some more of my photos and videos from the show below! Ever seen them live? I would love to hear your thoughts on the show!
