The crowd ascends to their feet when the brothers take stage, their arms become tired and trembling from holding up each of their individual signs, the theatre venue is dark and a low red glow and smoke creep from the stage as the sounds from the American folk rock band begin to vibrate through the hearts of their faithful fans.
Just thirty minutes before, my mother and I passed out white cardstock and black markers to the immediate crowd around us, and other fans followed suit passing the cards and markers to co-fans down the rows and up the aisles.
The “Show Number Fan Project” was catching on, and it spread.
Poppy Bass, of Bremen, Georgia has been an Avett fan for…I’m not even sure how long. It seems like forever. And I would know. I am her daughter. She and her husband, Perry, have traveled far and wide to see the brothers perform. On October 20th, they traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to catch yet another show, and while they have traveled, literally to other countries to watch the brothers perform, this show was extra special for one specific reason.
She had planned the Show Number Fan Project, and tonight was the night to execute that plan. She brought me and Perry along with her to aid in her efforts, and what I witnessed this night was something spiritual, emotional, inspiring, and exciting.
I have always supported my mother in her fandom. She went through a Green Day phase when I was in middle school, a Linkin Park phase when I was in high school, but never have I ever seen her this interested and dedicated to a group of musicians. She has found her fandom home in Avett Nation, and I don’t think she's packing up and leaving anytime soon.
Well, maybe she’ll be packing up, but she’ll be packing to go follow the brothers and revel in their music ability along with the other thousands of people who support and appreciate this true blue band of simply great performers…and even better people.
Not only is the band talented and inspiring, but their fans also make for a collective group of tangibly invested, good, and interesting people. Before we took our seats last Friday night, we went to get brews and grub from a place called MugShots in the Uptown strip of Birmingham next to the BJCC (the concert venue where the brothers were performing that night).
Many Avett fans had decided to meet there before the show. They are the most communal group of fans I have ever come in contact with. They come together for their love of the brothers, and they continue to communicate and celebrate life through music and shared a love of each other.
My mom had posted her fan project idea just a few days before the show and had multiple great responses from other fans. But, she had begun planning this project months beforehand. In fact, she tried to carry out the plan at the Fox Theatre months before, when the brothers came to Atlanta for a three-day show event.
Little did she know, the Fox Theatre had a strict NO MARKERS policy, and they confiscated all her fan project supplies.
So, she prepared better for this next show. She checked the BJCC website and could not find a “no markers” policy. She proceeded to buy 1,000 white sheets of white cardstock.
Then, she cut the inside seam of an old black jacket and slipped 65 black magic markers into in the lining of the jacket. When we went through security, Perry and I were in charge of muling some of the paper and markers into the venue, while mom carried the bulk of the contraband.
When we arrived at the front door security of the venue, we saw the Avett Guild table, and because Mom is a member, we were able to go in about thirty minutes earlier than the regular admission folk. We walked by the security, and the only ream of paper was confiscated (my ream of paper to be exact…I guess I look like I’m going to cause more trouble than my mom and step-dad).
After getting past security with most of the supplies, and finding our seats, the plan could then be carried out. We passed out the paper and the markers, and verbally shared the idea of the “show number fan project” plan.
Everyone was excited, willing, and so so sweet. I met so many amazing people the other night. Old grey headed couples. Young teenage couples. Middle-aged friends. Families. Single women out for girl’s night. A group of male business partners in town for work. Grandparents. Kids. Everyone. The best kind of people you will ever meet…because they were all so different and shared one strong and common love.
One couple could not even count how many shows they had been to, so they just decided to put the number 30 on their card because they knew it was at least that many, although probably a few more. Some fans had 14, 6, 25,…1.
The fans with the number one may have been the most special, in my opinion because they were embarking on a new live, musical journey. Even if they had been fans for years and listened to every album the brothers have ever produced, seeing the band live is an experience of its own.
They are energetic. Their sound is crystal clear and grungy at the same time. They are real, raw, they switch instruments and banter with each other, talk to one another, watch each other during solos, lay down on stage, dance, shuffle their feet, smile, scream, yell, sing, love, and most importantly they sweat.
They give their all to their audience and their fans, and the Show Number Fan Project was one woman’s idea of how to give a little back to the band. She wanted the band to know that there were ‘old faithfuls’ who follow them and support them. She also wanted them to know there were newcomers whose Avett journey has just begun and decided to buy a ticket. She wanted them to know they are loved and admired, and that they, well, have no enemies.
From a man arriving solo wearing Avett brothers socks (whose show number was 29, by the way) to a seven year old girl tearing up at the foot of the stage during the encore when the brothers sang “No Hard Feelings” the fans I met that night reverberated love this musical group spreads with their talent, commitment, and goodness.
