After releasing their fourth studio album, “Delta”, in November 2018, British folk rock band, Mumford and Sons, played at the XL Center in Hartford on the last day of February.
The stage was set in the round, featuring wood panels on the side reminiscent of a ship. Fans surrounded the stage simulating a sea on the floor, jumping and singing along with the music.
They kicked off with “42”, a song from their newest album which is moody and rich with harmony. While the upper level remained seated during the first few songs, after encouragement by Marcus Mumford, the lead singer, everyone stood and began to dance and clap along with the banjo-played hits.
Photo: Shira Tall
With a spiritual energy, Mumford controlled the audience when he left the stage during their 2015 hit “Ditmas” to run throughout the crowd. Fans rushed to record his movements on cell phones and were envious of those who received a high five or handshake.
One of the strongest moments of the night was the use of a singular microphone for the encore performance. With the quartet huddled around and playing an all-acoustic version of “Timshel” and “Cold Arms”, the raw emotion carried through as they sang.
Mumford instructed the 15,000 audience members to remain quiet as a show in Providence, Rhode Island had limited the group to only playing one song due to audience interference. The crowd was happy to comply with only the occasional hoops and hollers.
With the house lights turned off and a single spotlight fixated on the band, they were able to create a sense of intimacy as if they were simply being listened to through headphones.
As the concert came to a close with their foot stomping hit “I Will Wait”and title track “Delta”, warm colors illuminated the crowd as confetti rained down from above. While this was only their first show in Connecticut, Mumford and Sons proved their energy and rustic sound should return to the state sometime in the near future.
