I finally had an opportunity to see Mumford and Sons live, something I've wanted to do since I purchased their album, Sigh No More, last year. The band has received international acclaim since their inception in 2007 for their gracious and passionate music, as well as lyrics that reflect a folk-wisdom that appeals to people looking for some reprieve from the troubles of the day. This was absolutely true last night, when they played in Council Bluffs, Iowa days before the Missourri River is expected to overrun its banks.

     Driving past the Mid-America Convention Center, its walls shored up by stacks of sandbags while pallates of them waited on the medians to be placed, one definitely had a sense of the impending flood. In fact, we had to park at the convention center because the river had already flooded a large portion of the parking lot at Stir Concert Cove, where the concert was gearing up a mile away.

    Once we arrived, however, the Cove was packed and the crowd seemed to be in high spirits. The concert was slated to begin at 8:00, and with the sun falling behind us, the first opener, Matthew and the Atlas, took the stage. The group incorporated a lot of the folk instruments, and their sound had an almost Appalachian folk element to it, but pleased nonetheless.

    Nathaniel Rateliff, who took the stage around 8:45, was a fantastic power on stage. I was particularly moved by a song called Shroud, which combined the kind of crooning introspection and foot-stomping chorus that can both please the crowd and reach the individual. I've been listening to his album, In Memory of Loss, all morning.

     Mumford and Sons finally took the stage around 9:30 to a roaring crowd. The started their set with their title track, Sigh No More, which immediately sparked a sing-along. Although the band has only released one album, the much-loved songs were known by nearly everyone in the audience, and at one point front man Marcus Mumford stopped and remarked about how grateful he felt that they could go someplace they'd never been and yet everyone knew their songs.

     More than anything it was the band's graciousness and humor that struck me as unique. Often concerts in the "fly-over" states feel forced, as if the performer doesn't really want to be there. Mumford and Sons thanked the audience for their support several times throughout the performance, and not in a "thank you, good night", but in a very sincere way. Mumford even took the time to get an idea of the Omaha/Council Bluffs rivalry (if that's the right word), asking how many people were from each of the neighboring cities, and asking what he could get away with in addressing the audience. "Is it OK if I just say Omaha?" It's this kind of sincerity with their audiences that fans adore. Though I'm not religious by any means, Mumford even stopped at one point to thank God, which the crowd seemed to love and which further displayed the group's authenticity.

     The other favorites, Lion Man, The Cave, Roll Away the Stone, and Awake My Soul were interspersed with other new songs that haven't yet been released, but which make me anticipate their next album that much more. One notable song, entitled Earth Beneath My Feet, is guaranteed to be another hit.

     All in all the concert was a success. The openers were great, the crowd was positive, the band was a great live performance, and the music pulled everyone out of their seats to stamp their feet and belt out their favorite songs. Even if the Missourri River was lapping at the parkinglot behind the concert cove, the audience inside was blissfully ignorant of it, for a little while at least, as they enjoyed one of the premier folk-rock bands on the year.