Review: Mumford & Sons’ Delta Tour is Whisky for the Soul
I’m not alone when I say that my favorite band has had a profound impact on my life. We all have a song or band that speaks to us on such a deep level that a little part of us thinks, “this song feels like it written this for me.” For the last several years, for me it’s been Mumford & Sons.
Before I go on, I must warn you, that if you’re looking for a technical review of Mumford & Sons’ latest album, and their accompanying tour, this probably isn’t for you. This is about my feelings towards the new music, tour, and what this band has done for me.
When they announced their long-awaited new album, Delta, this fall, and released Guiding Light, the first single off the new album, I knew this was going to be special. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to listen to the first song released from their new album, and pay close attention to the lyrics.
I’m going to digress for a moment. Since the moment The Cave was first released in 2009 (has it seriously been that long?!), Mumford & Sons has been the band that I felt like just “got” me — when I was younger it was Hanson (lol all you want), then Billy Joel and several others. But for the last nine years, without going into all the minute details, this one band has (so far) provided me with much much more than just a musical experience. They’ve been the cause of travel to the likes of Walla Walla, Los Angeles, and Austin City Limits. And I’ve been fortunate to make new friends at their shows, and my first Mumford & Sons concert introduced to a short-lived yet incredible romance that started with standing in a Heineken line, talking about their music.
When Wilder Mind was released a few years ago, I made myself wait until my first trip to the UK to listen to it — granted, that was only a few weeks, but it felt like forever. There was something blissful about driving the Scottish countryside and listening to my favorite band sing about a wild heart, broken relationships and renewed hope, which I felt so connected to. That summer I saw them three times because as good as their music is on vinyl, it soaks in a thousand times deeper in person.
And since I first heard the song, Forever (track 13) at a small show in Harlem over a year ago, you could tell these incredible musicians were preparing for something new, but there was no telling where their continued musical journey was taking them. It was anyone’s guess, especially after their growing relationship with the guys from The National, and the beautiful lasting impacts of the band’s time in South Africa.
On a personal level, the last six months have been the worst time in my life. So much of my world unexpectedly fell apart all at once and everything that could go wrong, did. By September, I reached a point where I didn’t want to do this life anymore. I hated myself for the mistakes I’ve made, the failures of my career, and hated my wheelchair and the things I’ve missed out on in life because of it, and felt it was just too hard to keep attempting to move forward. For the first time in my life, I was broken physically, mentally and my heart literally hurt the majority of the time. A typically energetic, outgoing, happy person, I stopped talking to all of my friends, getting dressed, working out, and was preparing to “leave.” I didn’t recognize the person staring back at me in the mirror.
The day Guiding Light was released in September, I had just finished writing goodbye letters to two of my friends. The song, and announcement of new music and a tour awakened something I thought had forgotten how to do — get excited. It reminded me, for the first time in months, that I get thrilled over small moments, and that was something fun about me. This song. The band. Reminded me there was something good about me, and something to look forward to in the future, so maybe I should hold out a little longer. In saying this now, I’m aware of just how much I have to live for, but if you have ever been in the throws of a deep depression that comes out of left field, I don’t need to tell you, but it feels like everyone you love would be better off without you.
Meet You at the Delta
Waiting for Delta’s release and the announcement of the tour dates seemed like years, but the album was SO worth it. I have it on just about every medium — digital, vinyl and CD. I recommend listening to Delta in order, because it does a great job of taking you on a journey and the final song, makes you feel awake and hopeful.
If you missed Winston playing banjo as much as I have, this album does not disappoint. But, if you long for more of Marcus singing soulful songs, almost in a way reminiscent of a broken hearted man on a rainy morning in England, this album will make you happy, too. Pay particular attention to Picture You, which, in person is even better than on the album. Much of the songs in the album speak to being in deep despair, but looking to a guiding light or a friend to pull them back from the chaos and make it through.
Be prepared to cry during a first listen, especially when you hear Beloved, which makes you feel like you’re in a room saying goodbye to a family member for the final time. If I Say is a reminder of how scary it is to tell someone you love them, and how much you mean it when you say those scary, vulnerable words.
My personal favorite off this new album, is Wild Heart. If it’s not one of the top wedding songs for hipsters in 2019, I will be SHOCKED.
In short, Delta has everything that I loved about Babel and Wilder Mind, but there’s something new about this version of Mumford & Sons. There are definitely some throwbacks to Sigh No More hidden in there, but it feels more collaborative, synthetic at points (in a good way), and you can follow the stories being told. Each band member’s style comes through that hasn’t been as clear before. I also love that Ted seems to be breaking more out of his shell with every album.
Like a fine glass of my favorite whisky, this album starts off bold and quickly gets smooth and sweet. The notes are clear but not overbearing and Delta will bring emotions to the forefront that you may have forgotten, good or bad.
The Tour
If they’re coming to your city this winter and spring, I highly recommend shelling out the cash to see them, if you can afford it. I won’t give away too much, but seeing them last week was probably the second best set I‘ve seen them do, only to Austin City Limits 2016.
They open with Guiding Light (have you listened to the lyrics yet? do that now) — a song that, as cheesy as it sounds, makes me think of my best friend and how much we’ve been through together over the last 16 years. The concert is a fantastic mix of songs off all four of their albums to date, and their two songs that they do with all four of them around one microphone are amazing. It brings you back to the intimate times when they weren’t a nonstop sold-out band at huge venues, and were just four guys from the UK, singing about love and conflicts with faith.
Maggie Rogers, who is opening for Mumford on this tour, and really deserves her own tour at the end of this, joins the band for Awake My Soul. She and Marcus harmonize effortlessly, and she brings a bit of a younger vibe to the band. In listening to her solo stuff, picture a mix of Haim and Florence and the Machine, but she is truly her own artist and it’s free and liberating.
The one complaint (alright I have a couple) about this tour is the set up for the stage. It’s confusing, and the audience almost never has the entire band on their side of the stage at once, which takes away from the overall experience. The oval stage doesn’t work for a band like Mumford, and if you’re one of the people who doled out the cash to be on the floor, you constantly feel like you’re missing half the performance.
Also, the new album has so many incredible songs, but they only play a handful, which sort of makes sense, given that they now have great singles from four albums. I understand there’s not time to do it all. I do hope they mix it up a bit throughout the tour as they get into the groove and respond to their audiences. I’ll be seeing them at least three more times in the coming months, so I’m hoping Wild Heart makes an appearance, or 42. We all thought 42 would be played the other night and were (only slightly) disappointed when I Will Wait began instead.
Most importantly, Mumford & Sons look like they’re having fun on stage. You can tell they’re really enjoying their new music and seem to have more pep in their step than when I saw them in January of this year. The audience was engaged for every note, and like every Mumford & Sons concert, feels like a giant party with thousands of old friends.
As a side story, I met Winston a couple of years ago at the premiere of their documentary, We Wrote This Yesterday. He laughed when I told him how many times I’d seen them perform. He said, “it’s the same show every night. Don’t you get bored?” I replied, “you’re wrong! It’s never the same show. Every crowd makes it different and the music doesn’t get old. Ever.”
It’s almost like having sex with someone you love. On paper is it the same? Maybe a lot of times. But does it get boring? No. Because it’s not about the act, it’s about everything that goes with it with always more to explore, so no matter how many times you do it, you’re always going to want more.
From a personal note, I’m grateful for this album and this tour. It couldn’t have come at a better time and was well worth the wait. Thanks, Mumford & Sons, for reminding me that I’m still here. Keep evolving and making meaningful, fun music.
