Avett Brothers return to Wichita for folk-rock show at arena

It’s no wonder the Avett Brothers remembered Wichita when scheduling their latest tour.

Back in March 2012, when the folk-rockers were an act-on-the-rise, fans gobbled up all the tickets for a performance at the Orpheum Theatre in less than a week.

On Thursday, the Avett Brothers, who frequently sell out shows across the country, will return to Wichita, and this time, they’ll be hoping to fill a much larger venue: Intrust Bank Arena.

If you’re not familiar with the group, here’s a primer:

1. They really are brothers: Brothers Scott and Seth Avett started making music with their guitar and banjo when they were boys in Concord, N.C. After performing with other bands, they started the Avett Brothers in 2000, featuring Scott on the banjo and Seth on the guitar. In 2002, the group evolved into a trio with the addition of bassist/fiddle player Bob Crawford, who’s still with them. That year, the Avett Brothers released their first full-length studio album, “Country Was,” followed by a concert CD, “Live at the Double Door Inn,” then several other albums: 2003’s “A Carolina Jubilee,” 2004’s “Mignonette,” and 2006’s “Four Thieves Gone: The Robbinsville Sessions”

In 2007, their album “Emotionalism” made it onto the Billboard charts, and the next year, they got a deal with American Recordings, producer Rick Rubin’s division of Sony BMG/Columbia. More records have followed, including “I And Love And You” in 2009, “The Carpenter in “2012,” and “Magpie and the Dandelion,” which hit No. 5 on the Billboard Charts in 2013.

2. They’re no longer just acoustic: Though the band is still true to its acoustic roots, the expanded touring lineup Wichita will see includes lots of musical support for the original trio, including drummer Mike Marsh, keyboardist Paul DeFiglia, cellist Joe Kwon and fiddle player Tania Elizabeth.

3. If you like the Avett Brothers, you’ll like...: The group’s sound is compared to groups like Mumford and Sons and The Lumineers, who also produce acoustic anthems and banjo-filled folks tunes. The brothers performed on the 2011 Grammy Awards with Mumford and Sons and Bob Dylan.

4. They’re bearded, usually: The brothers, like many of their indie folk-rock ilk, are known for their bushy beards and long hair, which seem to come and go. (As recently as Valentine’s Day, Scott was bearded and Seth was not, though Seth’s hair was shoulder length.)

5. Their set list is never the same: The group is not known for radio hits and instead built its fan base with constant touring and appearances at festivals like as Bonnaroo. Their most popular hits include 2009’s “Love And I And You,” 2012’s “Live and Die” and 2014’s “Morning Song.” All three of those songs were performed at group’s most recent concerts, though never in the same order. The group tends to play between 20 and 25 songs, and other singles that are usually performed are “Paranoia in B-Flat Major,” “Down With the Shine,” the new single “Satan Pulls the Strings,” and “I Wish I Was,” a song from the Avett Brothers next album, due to be released this year. The group also recently threw in covers of songs like George Jones’ “The Race is On” and Doc Watson’s “Country Blues.”

6. They’re not always in arenas: The band has some arenas on its schedule, including the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington, W.V. But it often plays smaller venues. After Wichita, the group will head to Dallas for two sold-out shows at the 3,000 capacity Southside Ballroom followed by a House of Blue’s performance in Orlando.

This story was originally published February 19, 2015 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Avett Brothers return to Wichita for folk-rock show at arena."