In what has become one of the defining starts of the summer concert season at The Filene Center at Wolf Trap, The Avett Brothers recently returned to Vienna, Virginia, on an unseasonably chilly evening. That chill, though, didn’t last as Scott and Seth Avett along with Bob Crawford heated things up.
Since the group formed back in 2001, The Avett Brothers have combined strong songcraft with a stage performance that makes their stop in town a major highlight. Since the last time I saw them at Wolf Trap, the group has released a self-titled album as well as music for Swept Away, a Broadway musical, so I was eager to see what the band had in store for May 31.
Kicking things off was the Chapel Hill, North Carolina duo Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange), whose album Rituals was just released the day before. Whenever I’ve seen The Avett Brothers, they’ve always had amazing supporting acts, and Watchhouse fit that bill with beautiful harmonies and brilliant playing.
As the lights dimmed, The Avett Brothers — Scott, Seth, Bob, and Joe Kwon on cello, Mike Marsh on drums, Tania Elizabeth on fiddle, and Bonnie Avett-Rini on keys — made it onto the stage as they started in on “Pretty Girl from Feltre,” a slow waltz that eased things into what would be a rollicking two hour roller coaster.
With the Roman numerals XXXIII, LXVIII, and CV (a mathematical representation of “The Avett Brothers”) illuminated in neon above the massive stage, the band continued with some old favorites like “Down with the Shine” and “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise.”
One thing you have to give props to The Avetts for is how they can transition from one song to another — even from a ballad to a rocker — without missing a beat (often literally). And that whole band seemed to bound and sway together. It’s always fun to see a Joe and Tania jumping around with their cello and violin along with Seth, Scott, and Bob. I’m always amazed at how Joe Kwon can move so gracefully with that big cello.
Watch the official music video for “Love Of A Girl” by The Avett Brothers on YouTube:
Going back to their roots, so to speak, Seth, Scott, and Bob stayed onstage while the other band members took a break with the trio performing “I Wish I Was” and “Backwards With Time” before even Scott stepped off stage leaving Seth and Bob to play a rousing version of Billy Joel’s “Moving Out (Anthony’s Song).”
After a few more songs, the trio came back out again to play a couple more covers, as Scott reminisced about meeting Doc Watson before playing the Watson tune, “Groundhog.” “Doc encouraged us to, well, just play our songs like we play ’em, so we take that to heart and we’ve been doing ever since he told us that.” They played another cover of Toby Keith’s “As Good as I Once Was,” telling the crowd about playing an award show for Tom T Hall where they saw Toby Keith owning the room and how they came to appreciate Keith’s song writing skills.
The band played favorites like “Ain’t No Man” and “Kick Drum Heart,” but they also included new songs like “Cheap Coffee” from their most recent album.
The Avett Brothers’ returned to the stage to encore with “Murder in the City” and “The Perfect Space” from I and Love and You.
The Avetts continue their tour through the USA, and it’s one not to miss.
The setlist included:
Pretty Girl From Feltre
Talk on Indolence
Down With the Shine
Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise
November Blue
Gimmeakiss
Forever Now
Pretty Girl From Chile
I Wish I Was
Backwards With Time
Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) (Billy Joel cover)
Live and Die
Morning Song
Satan Pulls the Strings
No Hard Feelings
Mama, I Don’t Believe
Groundhog (The Doc Watson Family cover)
As Good as I Once Was (Toby Keith cover)
Cheap Coffee
Ain’t No Man
Vanity
Kick Drum Heart
Who Will I Hold
Encore:
Murder in the City
The Perfect Space
Here are more photos of The Avett Brothers performing at Wolf Trap on May 31, 2025. All photos copyright and courtesy of David LaMason.
And here are photos of Watchhouse opening the evening at Wolf Trap on May 31st.
