Recap of Mumford & Sons’ “Gentlemen of the Road” Tour

Between the announcement that Marcus Mumford and wife, Carrey Mulligan, are expecting their first child and their show last night at the Xfinity Center, the past 24 hours have been Mumford Mania at WBRU. Mumford & Sons played to well over 10,000 concert-goers as part of...

Between the announcement that Marcus Mumford and wife, Carrey Mulligan, are expecting their first child and their show last night at the Xfinity Center, the past 24 hours have been Mumford Mania at WBRU. Mumford & Sons played to well over 10,000 concert-goers as part of the “Gentlemen of the Road” tour in support of their new album, Wilder Mind. This latest album has deviated from the Americana sounds that the Mumfords are known for, and tipped the scale from folk to alt. If you weren’t at the show last night, here’s what you missed:  

1. The Maccabees 

Hailing from London, the Maccabees are not new performers on the scene. They’re about to release their fourth studio album and given their set, it’s definitely something to look forward to.  

2. W. B. Mumford

https://instagram.com/p/3ul9peDRSw/?taken-by=nvaldron Okay, is it just us, or does the “Gentlemen of the Road” logo look extremely similar to the W.B. Mason logo? Either way, the nostalgically antique vibe was abundant, both on stage and on the merch table.  

3. Old songs and new songs

The first thing Mumford said on stage was, “I’ve got some old songs and I’ve got some new songs for you tonight” and he did not disappoint. The show constantly flipped between lesser-known older cuts, massive smash sing alongs, and fresh new singles. It kept audience members excited to guess what they would play next.  

4. Rocking out on the (upright) bass 

https://instagram.com/p/3unA4oDRUf/?taken-by=nvaldron Mumford’s bassist, Ted Dwane, had a serious case of bass-face going on. While it’s hard to perform iconic rock moves on an instrument that’s taller than you are, he certainly delivered. From playing while lifting it off the ground to shredding bass fills, he was a performance in itself.  

5. Roller Derby Lasers

Mumford announced on stage that it was their lighting designers’ first night on the job, and he crushed it. Massive sweeping lights and constant lasers shown over and through the crowd, encouraging anyone and everyone to dance.  

6. Talking with the band 

Taking a poll between who lived in Boston versus Mansfield, politely asking the audience to put their phones away so the space could seem more intimate, and introducing a song by saying “This is about becoming a d**khead,” were all ways Mumford interacted the crowd. His easy-going and kind personality shown through as he thanked the audience with a “cheers” after most songs and laughed and restarted after flubbing an opening lyric.  

7. Hozier-looking guitarist

https://instagram.com/p/3um0VDjRUN/?taken-by=nvaldron While their guitarist, Winston Marshall, is an amazing musician in his own right, we couldn’t help but notice that he’s the perfect combination of Hozier + Kongos bassist, Dylan Kongos. Good luck unseeing that.  

8. “You’ll be alright sweetheart”

Just as the crowd suspected the show would be over, Mumford announced, “I have a quiet song for you.” One audience member must not have been enthused, and Mumford called her out by saying, “Hang in there sweetheart, you’ll be alright.” The crowd promptly erupted in cheers.  

9. Lots of instruments

On stage there were two drum-sets, a horns section, fiddlers, key boards, and enough guitars to spare. The musicians took turns playing different roles, with Marcus Mumford himself playing the drums from time to time. All these instruments combined to form an amazing wall of sound and the knowledge that everything you were hearing was live.  

10. ROCK

https://instagram.com/p/3undNSDRVI/ As to be expected, there was no shortage of electric guitars on stage. Both songs from the new album and older songs reimagined were played with a rock n’ roll energy we haven’t seen in Mumford & Sons previously. Here’s to looking forward to more!