Mumford & Sons rock Duluth two nights in a row

Mumford & Sons wowed crowds at the Infinite Energy in Duluth, Ga., with back-

to-back performances on April 11 and 12 as part of their Wilder Minds tour. The band, known widely for their folk sound and use of banjo in many of their songs, received some criticism for their 2015 album, “Wilder Minds,” which showcased a whole new sound – sans banjo – for the band and took them more into the alternative rock genre. But that didn’t stop them from nearly selling out both shows in Duluth.

The show on April 12 featured a good balance of songs from all three studio albums. The opening “Babel” revved the crowd’s energy and that energy carried into the second song, their debut single “Little Lion Man.”

Frontman Marcus Mumford engaged the crowd, describing how the previous night he got a contact high from an audience member in the front row puffing huge clouds of marijuana smoke from a “fat blunt.” While performing “Ditmas,” Mumford even ran off the stage and into the mosh pit. With a security guard close behind, he scaled the stairs of a section in the back of the arena, through a portion of the mezzanine and back into the audience – all while continuing singing.

Following a cascade of shimmering lights ending the unforgettable “Dust Bowl Dance,” the four members switched to a smaller stage in the middle of the arena floor. Sharing one microphone and with smoke surrounding them, the group sang “Timeshel” and “Cold Arms” to Mumford’s acoustic guitar. They asked the audience to stay quiet, but the crowd still jeered and a group of girls repeatedly shouted “we love you Marcus!” Even with the disruptions, this song set created an intimate atmosphere for the audience despite the packed arena.

The group returned to the main stage for a triple-decked encore featuring “Snake Eyes,” their most successful song to date “I Will Wait” and closed with their newest single “The Wolf.”

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