Release Date: Wednesday, April 27th 2011
The Railroad Revival Tour with Mumford & Sons rocks Tempe
by Michael Senft - Apr. 24, 2011 10:41 AM
Special for the Arizona Republic
It could have been a trainwreck.
The Railroad Revival Tour, which made a whistle stop in Tempe on Saturday night, was originally scheduled for the Arizona Railway Museum in Chandler but was moved to a vacant lot in Tempe to accommodate the high ticket demand.
It sounded like a recipe for disaster - 10,000 people crammed into a vacant lot in downtown Tempe.
Of course, there wasn't much choice for the venue once it was moved. The tour, reminiscent of the legendary 1970 Festival Express tour of Canada, is travelling from California to New Orleans via rail, with the bands eating, sleeping and jamming to all hours in 15 vintage Pullman cars. The train arrives at the festival locale, the bands get off and the show begins.
Admittedly, the line at the entrance gate was daunting, stretching down Ash Avenue for several blocks. But it moved quickly, and buskers kept the fans entertained while they waited to go inside. Some enterprising concertgoers avoided the wait altogether, using the empty gate on the other side of the lot. The beer lines were long, but there was a legion of port-a-potties, more than enough to handle the other annoying queues at big concerts.
Despite the less than romantic locale, the traveling festival, which features bluegrass revivalists Old Crow Medicine Show, the soulful Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and London's Grammy-winning Mumford & Sons, went off without a hitch, leaving the sold-out crowd breathless for more.
The show opened with the train pulling up next to the lot as the stage lights dimmed for Old Crow Medicine Show, who delivered an hour of breakneck bluegrass that had the crowd of hippies and hipsters dancing. The pace only seemed to slow on a laidback version of the classic "C.C. Rider." The set also featured the first of what would be a common occurrence throughout the night - Marcus Mumford and members of the Magnetic Zeros joining Old Crow on several tunes, including "Take 'Em Away" and "Wagon Wheel," based on an unfinished sketch of a Bob Dylan song usually called "Rock Me Mama."
After Old Crow's fiery set, however, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros were a bit of a letdown. Sharpe, the alter-ego of Ima Robot singer Alex Ebert, has a soulful voice that can only come from listening to a lot of Van Morrison, and his merry band of ragtag musicians made a wonderfully eclectic noise reminiscent of the Incredible String Band, but the set seemed unfocused and perhaps a little too free-spirited. For those interested, Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros are returning to the Valley on May 1 to close the McDowell Mountain Music Festival.
The show wrapped up with Mumford & Sons, who have grown exponentially more popular since their last visit to the Valley - at the Rhythm Room last summer. They showcased their Grammy-winning debut CD, "Sigh No More," starting the set with the title track of the acclaimed album.
The Magnetic Zeros' horn section added majesty to "Winter Winds," while the infectious "Little Lion Man" had the crowd singing along to the "It was not your fault but mine" chorus. They even performed a pair of new tunes which were warmly received.
But it was the set-closing "The Cave" that garnered the biggest cheers. The tune, which wowed viewers at the Grammy Awards, had the audience singing and dancing even as people were leaving to beat the rush.
But the show wasn't quite done. For an encore, all the members of each band came onstage for a spirited sing-along version of Woody Guthrie's "This Train Is Bound For Glory." The lights dimmed during the song, perhaps a signal that curfew had been reached, but that didn't slow down the hootenanny.
As the bands took their bows to the crowds' cheers, the train let loose its whistle, letting the bands know that soon it would be heading down the tracks for the next show in Marfa, Texas.
Here's hoping the organizers make this an annual event.
Mumford & Sons setlist:
"Sigh No More"
"Roll Away Your Stone"
"Winter Winds"
"White Blank Page"
"Lovers Eyes"
"Timshel"
"Little Lion Man"
"Lover of the Light"
"Awake My Soul"
"The Cave"
Encore featuring all three bands
"This Train Is Bound for Glory"
