The Avett Brothers Declared Honorary Texans & Welcome Members Of Asleep At The Wheel In Austin

On Saturday night The Avett Brothers hit night two of their late winter tour with a stop at the Long Center for Performing Arts in Austin, Texas. The North Carolina-based band, who have been in the spotlight of late thanks to recent Judd Apatow documentary about the making of their most recent studio album True Sadness, made the most of their stop in the Texas state capital as they welcomed local music legends and were bestowed with an honor as well.

Prior to the start of the show Ray Benson, frontman for the legendary Western swing band Asleep At The Wheel presented the Avetts with a Texas flag that had been flown over the state capital building the day prior. Following that grand gesture, Brendan Anthony of the Texas Music Office had a bigger surprise. After giving a short speech where he looked to Lyle Lovett saying “he summed up our feeling about our heroes that are not from Texas” as he got the crowd to quote the singer-songwriter’s lyrics – “that’s right they’re not from Texas, but Texas wants you anyway” before declaring them honorary Texans.

As for the show itself, the band offered up selections from throughout their career, touching on six of their releases. After opening the night with “Satan Pulls The Strings,” The Avett Brothers delivered fan-favorites like “Live And Die,” “Murder In The City,” “Kick Drum Heart” and “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise.” The Americana act also worked in a cover of David Childers’ “The Prettiest Thing,” while Scott Avett performed a solo acoustic take on “Just Be Simple” from Songs: Ohia’s 2003 release The Magnolia Electric Co.

Towards the back end of their 20-song main set, the band welcomed Benson back to the stage along with a number of his Asleep At The Wheel bandmates as they teamed up on “The Girl I Left Behind,” dusting off the traditional tune for the first time since New Year’s Ever 2015. Benson than stepped up to the mic to front the collective on “Take Me Back To Tulsa” from the king of Western swing Bob Wills who originally recorded the song with his band the Texas Playboys in 1941. Benson & Co. returned during the encore for one more Wills tune, this time teaming up for a take on one of his most well-known tunes “Stay All Night (Stay A Little Longer).”

Watch fan-shot video captured by ohmylauren and check out the full setlist below:

Setlist