Mumford & Sons @ Vogue -- 10/23/10

I have to say, I was really lucky for this. The show sold out in mere moments and I missed out... but thanks to a last minute ticket release, and a quick friend, I was able to snag tickets. I missed their full show the first time they were here, but caught the mini-concert put on by The Peak in Yaletown. Even though it was only a few songs, I was blown away, so I knew I had to see a full-on show.

I arrived a bit late, so only caught the tail end of King Charles' set. He was dressed up all fancy, with a tailcoat and (very tight) white pants, giving him a regal look to match his name. He asked if people liked Bob Dylan, then half-apologized as he went into a cover of "We Didn't Start The Fire", but updated to make the verses a little more current. That got a mixed response at the start, but by the chorus everyone was singing along. He ended with a song that borrowed some from an Oscar Wilde poem -- the exact one escapes me. From what I saw, he was pretty good, but nothing staggering.

Next up was Mt. Desolation, which is a side project from Tim Rice-Oxley and Jesse Quin from Keane. They've got a bit of an alt-country sound to them, but really upbeat, for the most part. They went through their new album, and even threw in a cover when "State Of Our Affairs" segued into a bit of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". The whole band was really into it, especially Tim, who is really fun to watch on the keys, bounding with energy. Mid-way through the set, one of the members of Mumford & Sons, who was also on the album, came out to help out with a few songs. It was a really enjoyable set, and I am quite interested to listen to the album and hopefully they're back soon.

And finally, it was time for Mumford & Sons. From the moment they hit the stage, the sold out crowd was just going insane. They started with low lights and "Sigh No More" and then exploded with "Roll Away Your Stone". They hit every song off of the album, but threw in a couple new songs. One was called "Lover of the Light" and saw Marcus get behind a full drum kit to play, as opposed to his usual method of playing the kick drum while singing & playing guitar. Other highlights were "I Gave You All", which was absolutely epic live and "Little Lion Man" had everyone in the place singing along. The whole band seemed completely humbled and overwhelmed by the crowd response, who were clapping and singing along to every song. It is amazing to think it is only their second time here, and they sold out the Vogue in mere minutes.
There wasn't too much banter, but a couple of times they let their humour shine through, and I would like to see a little more of that in the shows, aside from just the "thanks you" and "this is [song]". One such instance resulted in one of their new, untitled songs to be spontaneously named "New Shoes", based on fans wanting the keyboardist to show off his new kicks. That, as well as the other new tune, sounded even more intense than the last album, so I can't wait to hear how they turn out.
The set "ended" with "Dust Bowl Dance", but they were back out for the obvious encore. They mentioned this wasn't something they normally did, and proceeded to play "Sister", all up at the front of the stage, completely acoustic and unamplified. It was a breathtaking sight -- even if the crowd didn't know how to shut up for it... that was the down side of the overly enthusiastic crowd, there was non stop yelling and wooing, even during the slow and quiet songs. They wrapped up the set and blew what was left of the roof off with "The Cave" before thanking us again and departing.
And the lighting was really cool. It is not really something you notice unless it is really good or bad, and this show was great. Lots of backlighting, even some moody red with smoke for "Awake My Soul" and a string of bare bulbs hung from the stage, out over the crowd, creating a really cool effect.

After this show, I am determined not to miss out on tickets next time they come through town. And I would suggest the same to you.

setlist
Sigh No More, Roll Away Your Stone, Winter Winds, White Blank Page, Timshel, I Gave You All, Little Lion Man, Lover of the Light, Thistle & Weeds, After The Storm, Untitles (New Shoes), Awake my Soul, Dust Bowl Dance.
[encore] Sister (acoustic), The Cave.