MumfordSons in Vienna or what this means to my fragile little heart.

Mumford&Sons in Vienna, Gasometer. March the 7th.

I have first encountered Mumford&Sons in the middle of 2010. It was while searching through fanvids on youtube that i saw a Supernatural/OTH crossover with their song used as a background. The lyrics made me wanna cry, so i just saved the song for later "repeat me through the whole month and annoy everyone in your apartment" sessions. Never did i thought that after a week i would be a complete addict to all things M&S.

You're leaving for your last kiss

And who in this world could ask me to resist

Your hands cold as they find my neck

All this love that I've found I detest

- Liar, Mumford&Sons.

It's started with listening to their  1st album "Sigh no more" that came out 2009. The band has only been playing together since 2008, so there were relatively unknown then. Almost none of my friends knew about them (expect for Tsvety, but since she is a music junkie she doesn't count ;D and 2 friends from LJ community), so i was having my "I AM SO INDIE AND I KNOW IT" moment. (it's basically the same as the "I AM SEXY AND I KNOW IT", you just change the dance moves a bit). Anyway, back to the story.

And in the middle of the night I may watch you go

There'll be no value in the strength

Of walls that I have grown 

There'll be no comfort in the shade 

Of the shadows thrown

But I'd be yours if you'd be mine

- Lover of the light, Mumford&Sons.

It was my first year in Vienna and i was feeling generally "blah" about my life and after seeing OneRepublic live in 2010 my heart was looking for sth fresh and new. So Mumford&Sons love kicked in. It was definitely one of the first bands that i was religiously obsessed with. There was not a single song of theirs that i didn't love. I listened to all of their Ep's  and all of their concert live appearances. And what i love about them - they sound even better live. Hell, recorded things can't even closely do them justice. To hear Marcuse's raw voice and all of them joking on the stage and Marcus and Winston dueling each other with the instruments. Priceless. Unforgettable. Amazing.

They actually came to Wiesen to Harvest of Art Festival in 2012 but i couldn't go. Imagine the disappointment of you favorite band being a few hours ride away from where you are? and that exactly few days after your birthday? I wasn't gonna loose my opportunity once it was declared in November  that they were finally coming to Vienna in March. A friend of mine, an indescribable concert junkie hehe, (btw you can check her amazing book/music blog here ) got us the tickets! And that's when the countdown began - months, days and hours. 

March was slowly coming up and being a freak of emotional nature i was pretty psyched and  freaking out at the same time. I tend to build stuff up in my head and i get pretty easily disappointed ;D Real excitement kicked in the moment i got to the concert hall. Seeing a bunch of Brazil fans with posters begging for tickets reminded me how lucky i am. Since you are not allowed to take photos inside, i haven't  brought my camera with me. Looking back i am  satisfied with that decision. I was in no state of having a photography venture ;D 

The warm up was done by Jesse Quin Music. I think nobody really cared about what they were doing, although they seem like a nice band. ^_^ After they were done playing, the 40 horrible minutes of anticipation started. The instruments were being tuned. The crowd was applauding and shouting. Every time you would think - now, finally! it would be just a another guy bringing out another instrument to the stage.

The beginning was amazing. The whole stage was in complete darkness. The crowd was screaming. And then they quietly started playing "Babel". When the first loud guitar chords kicked in they lit up the whole stage. That's one of those moments when you are thinking "Gosh, it is really happening!" I remember crying through the first few of my favorite songs because i couldn't deal with my happy emotions. The background of the stage consisted of a huge picture of mountains and there were light bulbs all around the stage stretched over the hall. The light effects were simple, but combined with Marcuse's voise and the sound of guitar and mandolin - it was one hell of a show. They also kept teasing us by improvising beginning of the songs. Marcuse's stage banter was sweet. After he said "hey" to us in german and asked us how we were doing, he had to admit that that would be all from his german for the night ;D He also tuned out his guitar before getting to "For Those Below', so he was playfully freaking out on stage, while Winston was laughing. Afterwards he just gave up and it was him&Winston singing and Winston playing the guitar. It is amazing how much they can do with so little. Sweat dripping all over their faces, all of the energy coming from the crowd. 

I love love love all of their songs, but i think "Thistle and Weeds" and "the Cave" were my faves. But then again a few of the songs have been now given a whole new meaning.  The setlist from the show: 

1. Babel
2. I Will Wait
3. Winter Winds
4. Below My Feet
5. White Blank Page
6. Broken Crown
7. Timshel
8. Little Lion Man
9. Lover of the Light
10. Thistle and Weeds
11. For Those Below
12. Ghosts That We Knew
13. Awake My Soul
14. Roll Away Your Stone
15. Dust Bowl Dance
16. Whispers in the Dark
17. The Cave

My heart is warm and happy <3 I still can't believe i have actually seen one of my favorite bands like 4-5 meters away from me. Would i do it all again? Hell yes! The whole build-up, the unpatient waiting, the sweat, the crowd, hurting feet afterwards - it was all worth it for that huge smile that has been imprinted onto my face ever since. After all it's not even about the band or the guys - it's about the music and the lyrics. So i desperately hope that someday i will be lucky to see them live again. And that  they will write 1 000 000 of other perfect songs that i can listen to.

 When you write a song, sitting naked on your bedroom floor, it's the most private thing you can do. I'm very English, and we don't talk about emotions publicly. Then you do the most public thing possible: You record it and ask people to play it on the radio. It's pretty weird when you hear people singing that private moment back at you.“

– Marcus Mumford

 For all info concerning Mumford&Sons check out : 

• M&S TUMBLR
• Mumfordandsons.com
• Youtube

+ you can check out the whole Vienna concert (the whole 17 songs playlist) over here.