Lucy Dixon / Daily Nexus

The Santa Barbara Bowl officially kicked off the 2025 season with a performance from the American folk rock band The Avett Brothers, a North Carolinian band that has been defined by their distinct musical and lyrical range.

The Avett Brothers hail from Concord, North Carolina, composed of nominal brothers and frontmen Seth Avett and Scott Avett, along with Bob Crawford and Joe Kwon on various stringed instruments. Joining the band on their 2025 tour are Mike Marsh on the drums, Tania Elizabeth on the fiddle, and sister Bonnie Avett-Rini on the piano. The group got its start in the early 2000s when Seth Avett and Scott Avett decided to put their respective bands together, creating a unique blend of traditional folk and contemporary rock.

The band was joined by West Virginian country-folk musician Charles Wesley Godwin, whose opening set was the perfect backdrop for an evening at the Bowl. Godwin’s crooning voice surrounded patrons as they made their way up the steep inclines of the venue’s seating, cowboy boots clicking against the pavement. A variety of ages were represented in the crowd, from millennials in Canadian tuxedos to greying Willie Nelson fans bundled up in warm attire.

Towards the end of Godwin’s set, between the jaunty “Another Leaf” and the soulful “Family Ties,” a man in the floor section proposed to his girlfriend. Godwin congratulated them, before bringing the two onstage for his final song, a cover of John Denver’s classic “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

“Only one way to end a West Virginia set,” Godwin remarked. The newly engaged couple slow-danced while the crowd happily sang along. Godwin even let the crowd have their solo moment, turning the mic to the full stands for a chorus. Voices now properly warm, Godwin thanked the crowd before waving goodbye, setting the stage for The Avett Brothers.

The Avett Brothers began their performance with the song “Forever Now,” from their 2024 release “The Avett Brothers.” The energy was electric, despite the slower nature of the song. Scott Avett was a ball of physical energy, dancing across the stage while Seth Avett balanced his brother with powerful vocals. Following a kazoo-featuring instrumental break, the band played “Distraction #74,” a lively number from their 2006 album “Four Thieves Gone.”

The energy continued with two tracks from their 2007 album “Emotionalism.” Their stage presence was defined by the brothers standing shoulder to shoulder, shredding their respective instruments — Scott Avett on the banjo and Seth Avett on the guitar. But the rest of the band was equally commanding, with Kwon and Crawford moving with their instruments as if they were dance partners. During the song “Go to Sleep,” the brothers changed the song’s lyrics from “I hope the people in the crowd understand” to “I hope the beautiful folks out in California understand,” in honor of the Californian crowd.

The next few songs took the audience on a journey, from the building ballad “Head Full Of Doubt/Road Full Of Promise” (featuring a mini dance break from Seth Avett) to the quietly reverent “No Hard Feelings.” Scott Avett became a country bard for the autobiographical song, “Murder in the City,” whose lyrics describe the brothers’ childhood dreams and how it feels to live them out. Scott Avett was alone for this number; he and his guitar in the spotlight performing a tribute to his brother and father. The rest of the band returned to the stage for the next song, bringing back the electricity as they played “Kick Drum Heart.” “Kick Drum Heart” brought the crowd to their feet, the audience clapping along as Seth Avett pounded his chest to the beat.

Throughout the set, The Avett Brothers proved their versatility time and time again, crew members rushing out from the wings with guitars, banjos and tambourines between songs. Instrumental interludes shone throughout the set, one Irish-inspired duet featuring Scott Avett on the banjo and Elizabeth with her fiddle electrifying the crowd. They performed a tambourine toss during their song “Ain’t No Man,” and the brothers performed with Kwon on the cello for the languid love song “I Wish I Was.”

One of their most impressive numbers was “Talk on Indolence,” a song whose first verse is delivered in rapid succession like a punk-country rap break. Scott Avett encouraged the audience to get up and dance, yelling out, “Come on y’all, let’s shake it up!” The band members danced around the stage freely as Scott Avett kicked a cymbal in time with the music.

The final song of their set was “Love of a Girl,” the lead single from their most recent album. The song feels almost Green Day-inspired, a drum-heavy number with punchy verses. The chorus, however, is all Avett, with a sprawling guitar section, accompanied by Seth Avett on an electric guitar and Scott Avett on his acoustic. After the song wrapped, Scott Avett took to the mic to thank the crowd for all of their support. “California has been good to us y’all,” he said. “It stops being just a pleasant surprise, and starts being a gift.”

The band said their goodbyes, waving to the roaring crowd and lifting their instruments above their heads. Once offstage, some of the crowd began to disperse while others continued cheering, hopeful that the band would return for one more song. Thankfully, like in any truly great show, The Avett Brothers appeased the audience’s cries.

Thus began an epic three-song encore, featuring “Swept Away,” a song from their 2004 album “Mignonette” and the title of The Avett Brothers’ jukebox musical that had a quick stint on Broadway in the fall of 2024. The song featured Avett-Rini on vocals and piano, making the show’s ending a true family affair. They paid homage to Santa Barbara in “The Traveling Song,” shouting out “Santa Barbara, California!” while the song listed the names of other places they had traveled.

The show officially ended with “Victims Of Life,” a reflective song featuring the maracas and a steel drum — a choice emphasizing the true range of sounds The Avett Brothers have managed to acquire throughout their over 25-year career. The diversity of their sound made The Avett Brothers a perfect opener for the Santa Barbara Bowl’s upcoming season. Their influences, from traditional folk to punk rock, foreshadow the tastes and flavors of other artists that will be filling the Bowl this summer.

This appeared in the April 17 print edition of the Daily Nexus.