By Ryan Matteson | Photos Ed Oliver

Waking up this morning I wondered if the Avett Brothers ever have an off night. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen the band, but I have to say that they always manage to reach higher and deliver more than the previous time. Last night, in front of a sold out crowd at Madison’s Barrymore Theatre, The Avett Brothers do what they always do – deliver. Big time. Here’s our 9 favorite moments from last night’s show.

1. Nicole Atkins – If you were in the building early you have to agree that the opening set from Nicole Atkins and the Black sea was a great way to start the evening. That band was absolutely on fire behind forthcoming new material. Check out her recent guest dj set on our most recent podcast.

2. “A Lot Of Moving” – I loved that they dipped into their first album, Country Was and I couldn’t have wished for a better song. A traditional bluegrass/country tune that remind me I’ve got an album to revisit.

3. “If I Get Murdered In The City” – Always a favorite. Tonight it was performed solo by Scott Avett with updated lyrics “make sure my daughter knows I loved her, make sure her mother knows the same.”

4. “I Am A Breathing Time Machine, I’ll Take You All For A Ride” There was plenty of new material from I and Love and You, but this was one that rose to the top for me. It’s become one of my favorite songs in their catalog and the harmonies at the conclusion of the song are stellar.

5. Joe Kwan & Bob Crawford – You can’t forget how much these guys bring to the table. They are just as much essential to the formula that embodies the beauty of Avett Brothers albums and the live experience. Their contributions can’t be overlooked or under appreciated.

6. “Slight Figure Of Speech” – Probably my favorite song on the new album. It’s become an anthem in concert. Lots of energy, seemingly gone before it even appears. I love the lyric “They said I hope that you will never change, I went and cut my hair.”

7. “4 Thieves Gone” – The closeout song to the 2006 release Four Thieves Gone: The Robbinsville Sessions also brought the house lights up concluding the show. It was the first time I’d ever heard them play it. Pretty special.

8. “I and Love and You” – Tonight’s put their new album in the spotlight. It’s an amazing album that I am so thrilled is taking them to new levels and increasing their audience base. Let’s not hold success against our favorite bands, we should embrace it and be happy that after years of delivering their dreams are coming true. They made a great record with an amazing producer, that’s not something to be disappointed in or see in a negative light.

9. Drag your friends, they’ll become fans Over the course of about 20 text messages I managed to convince my over thirty friend out of the house and away from his family. The permanent smile on his face throughout the show, seeing the Avett Brothers for the first time was priceless. The last text I received from him, just before midnight reads, “Great Night. Totally Unexpected.”

Discuss: Drop a comment with your thoughts and reviews on the show. What were the highlights for you?

Buy: The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You

The Avett Brothers release I and Love and You today. Last night they hit late night television for the first time, performing the title track from the new album on David Letterman. The Avett Brothers play the Barrymore Theatre in Madison on Wednesday, October 21st and return to Milwaukee next year for a show at Turner Hall Ballroom on March 6th.

Buy: The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You

One of the year’s best songs comes to life in fantastic vintage video form. This is becoming one of our favorite albums of the year. Pick it up next week.

Buy: The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You

Just getting back to Wisconsin and already missing the San Francisco bay. Big thanks to the Outside Lands Music Festival for running such an amazing festival over the course of three days. Our third and final day at the festival was spent much like the previous days with time carved out to experience The Beatles Rock Band and test my skills at the batting cages (pictures of both below). My virtual Paul McCartney and George Harrison could use some polishing, but my swing is still as sweet as it was back in high school.

Obviously, the music is what we’re here to talk about and yesterday’s schedule offered plenty of great stuff in that department. I caught a good six songs of the Atmosphere set on the way into the festival. I was pleased to see Brother Ali joining on almost all the songs as Atmosphere appeared sans band. The crowd was enormous for such an early set. From there I hustled over to see our favorites, The Avett Brothers. Their song selection was easy like Sunday morning, with songs culled from the softer side of their catalog that perfectly matched the foggy and slightly chilly morning. Don’t forget to pick up their upcoming record, I and Love and You on September 29th.

I had to take the chance to catch The Dead Weather for the first time. I’m willing to bet they won’t be playing Wisconsin anytime soon, so a festival will be my best chance to take them in live. I’m happy to report they’re much more engaging live than on their debut record. Alison Mosshart absolutely owned the stage, performing most songs atop the monitors and tossing every bit of herself into the songs. Jack White remained, for the most part, as a secondary figure, but his presence couldn’t be denied. The sheer size of the crowd was spectacular, one of the largest I saw all weekend.

It wasn’t too hard choosing the Heartless Bastards over Modest Mouse. If you’ve spent any time with The Mountain this year, I hope you’ll agree that it’s one of the year’s finest albums. Seeing them live only reinforces that notion.

Our group meandered around the festival grounds while M.I.A. performed. We could hear just fine from far away, but also wanted to do the aforementioned non-musical activities while we had the chance. We cruised over to Band of Horses at the conclusion of M.I.A. and were greeted with our last set of the day. This band is better that it’s ever been, which says a lot considering the line up changes and departures. People absolutely lose it during their shows and their songs are becoming live anthems. That’s a fun thing to witness and a great thing to be a crowd experiencing it with everyone else. Just as they did at Lollapalooza, they played past their scheduled set time, but you can’t really blame them because, after all, there was nobody on after them.

That was it for us. I regret not seeing Ween. I think that would have been fantastic. As with all festivals you see a lot and you miss a lot. Overall, my group had a great time. If you’re considering travel plans for next summer, keep this festival on your radar. You can’t beat the layout, line up and the city is a perfect thing to experience before and after the music begins/stops. See you next year? I think so…

Yesterday our friends at Daytrotter posted a session with The Avett Brothers that was recorded at SXSW. It’s a great session of old and new, including “Laundry Room” from the upcoming record I and Love and You and the unreleased “More Of You.” Go get your four free MP3′s now.

Speaking of Datrotter, did anyone catch their Barnstorming tour stop in Madison last night? How can you go wrong with free sets from Local Natives, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Catfish Haven, and Snowblink. Drop a comment if you made it out and fill me in on the details.

Set List: Signs // Die Die Die // I & Love & You // At the Beach // Bella Donna // Laundry Room // Paranoia in Bb Major // One Line Wonder // Down With A Glistening Shine // Talk on Indolence // Murder in the City // Denouncing November Blue // LOL, LOL // Ballad of Love & Hate // Rollin’ in My Sweet Baby’s Arms (Earl Scruggs cover) // Salina // Kick Drum Heart // Dream Appointed (Another Youngster) // Go to Sleep

Encore: The Perfect Space

It had been a couple years since I’d seen a show at the House of Blues in Chicago. I arrived to the venue in great anticipation, The Avett Brothers had teased some new material from their forthcoming album, I and Love and You when I saw them in Austin a few months back. Since then, I’ve had the chance to hear a few live records and have had the title track on in heavy rotation.

New songs “Laundry Room” and “Kick Drum Heart” embody the charging energy side of the Avett’s, while the evening’s closer, “The Perfect Space,” is as reflective as anything they’ve penned to date. It opens with a reasonable wish, “I wanna have friends that I can trust, that love me for the man I’ve become not the man I was” and ends continues with a heavy ending of “I wanna have pride like my mother has, And not like the kind in the bible that turns you bad.”

The Avett Brothers will leave your legs sore, your voice hoarse, and your memory bank filled with joy. They’re a band that you could drag along a pessimist and I’d bet the Avetts could win them over by the time the curtain goes down. Last night’s crowd was a mixture of the usual suspects: the die-hards, the booze hounds, the hippie chics, the businessman, and many more. The beauty of their live show resides within their ability to seamlessly transfer from rocker to delicate acoustic numbers like “Murder In The City.” If you haven’t bought your ticket for their show at the Barrymore in October, it’s never to early to plan ahead. The show will sell out, so don’t be left out.

Discuss: Drop a comment if you made last night’s show in Chicago. What were your highlights and thoughts on the new material?

Bonus: Scott Avett playing “Greensboro Woman” traveling from Columbus to Covington (6/21/09)