Watch Avett Brothers Ring In 2024 With Led Zeppelin Cover Debut Featuring Valient Himself & Mickey Raphael

The Avett Brothers celebrated New Year’s Eve with a concert at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina where they previously performed on December 31 in 2014 and 2017. Renowned harmonica player Mickey Raphael joined The Avetts throughout the evening and once again Valient Himself of the band Valient Thorr took on his traditional role as Father Time for the New Year’s countdown and he stuck around for a debut cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock And Roll.”

The show began with Raphael, a longtime member of Willie Nelson’s Family Band, performing “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” as a lead-in to “Bleeding White.” A few songs later, Raphael reemerged to augment the traditional “Black Mountain Rag,” and remained for “The Fall,” “Go To Sleep,” and “Who Will I Hold.”

After stepping off for “Salvation Song,” Raphael came back for Willie Nelson’s classic “Bloody Mary Morning,” which surrounded a run through “Old Joe Clark.” Raphael also assisted on another staple of Nelson’s repertoire, “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?,” which also featured Seth Avett and Scott Avett’s father Jim Avett sitting in.

Later in the set, actor Adrian Blake Enscoe came onstage to perform “Swept Away.” Enscoe currently stars in the Broadway production of Swept Away, which features the music of The Avett Brothers.

With the final minutes of 2023 approaching, “Live And Die” was followed by the traditional stroke of midnight anthem “Auld Lang Syne,” with Raphael once again back onstage. The Avetts were then led by Valient Himself/Father Time through an energized performance of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock And Roll.” Father Time and Raphael stayed for the set closing “Ain’t No Man.”

The Avett Brothers put a cap on the celebratory occasion with a three song encore that began with Raphael making his final appearance of the night on “The Prettiest Thing.” A pairing of “Talk On Indolence” and “No Hard Feelings” brought an end to the performance in Raleigh.

Watch audience-captured video footage of The Avett Brothers’ New Year’s Eve concert below: