So last Saturday my girlfriend and I were able to attend the Railroad Revival Tour during its stop in Tempe. We went mainly to see Mumford & Sons, a band which we both love. Their songs and their sound just connect with me, and as I described last December, their music has served as a nice soundtrack to interesting times in my life. I’ve had many friends describe how great they are live and so when some last second tickets became available through a friend, I quickly purchased them and a fun date night was planned.
The concert was packed. We spent the first and second act towards the back and were even able to run into a good friend of mine from college and her husband–it was nice to catch up. Just before Mumford & Sons took the stage, we navigated our way closer to the stage. We actually had a nice view (although my personal photos don’t really demonstrate it).
We both really enjoyed the Mumford & Sons set. While they didn’t play my favorite song, After the Storm, they did introduce two new songs which should appear on the new album they are recording this year (if you’re a fan, definitely check out Lover of the Light, one of my new favorites). Throughout their set, the band invited members of the other two acts to join them for a song or two. It was cool to see them celebrate and share in music.
When they finished their set, the crowd went crazy asking for an encore. I’ve seen this at several concerts and normally the “headliner” comes out to play one more hit. My girlfriend and I thought that they might finally play After the Storm, but they had something else in mind.
Mumford & Sons was joined by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and Old Crow Medicine and they all played one final song, This Train is Bound for Glory.
Now I’m normally not a fan of any music that sounds more like country than anything else, but for some reason the song just worked. The stage was packed, and each instrument had a brief solo moment (the youtube videos from the Tempe concert don’t really show the full effect, but check out this one from the San Pedro event if you want to see more). It was such a fun close to the concert. Singers share microphones, crew members danced in the background, and everyone worked together to create an amazing experience.
Sure Mumford & Sons could have come out for their encore and played After the Storm and I would have been happy was would many other members of the crowd, but by making it something bigger they really created a special experience. These three bands were in the middle of spending several days together on a train, riding from Oakland to New Orleans and playing concerts just off the train tracks along the way. Each band described how they didn’t really know each other before, but the time on the train was bringing them closer together and that they really enjoyed the experience. The chemistry was obvious in the closing performance.
I’ve been thinking about that closing act for the past few days. Is there anyway that we can create a similar effect on our campus or in between our organizations? Often times, we have such division and separation. There is that “headliner” sports team or student organization and while they do actually do incredible things, is there a way they could create an even better experience by bringing other groups out on stage? I alluded to this idea briefly in an entry last week, but I think it is an idea we really should revisit.
We have the capacity to do some incredibly cool things, so let’s start collaborating, and see where our train might head.