Sometimes a concert becomes more than an entertainment event. For those of us who attended the Gentlemen of the Road Stopover in Troy, we will take away from this weekend a memory that will last a lifetime.
Mumford & Sons Gentlemen of the Road Stopover
Sometimes a concert becomes more than an entertainment event. It transcends the expectations of the people in the audience who thought they were just going to hear some music. It transcends the expectations of the band who thought they were just playing familiar notes for the faceless crowd at the next forgetful stop on a long tour. If you are lucky, you will get to be a part of one of these experiences in your lifetime. If you attended the Gentlemen of the Road Stopover in Troy, Ohio, you already have.
For those of us who were there, we will take away from this weekend a memory that will last a lifetime. Every time we hear someone talk about going to an awesome concert, we will politely smile, knowing that we experienced something beyond a "great show". We were in Troy.
30,000 people united by music
The best way I can describe The Gentlemen of the Road Stopover is that it was a non-religious spiritual experience. It was a revival for the soul and the mind. It was a reminder that, under the right circumstances, humanity still can be good, kind and generous to each other. It was 30,000 people united by the music of some entertainers who decided to buck the trend of the music industry and give something back to the community.
Probably nothing captures the experience of this weekend better for me than the finale of the first official night of the festival when Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros played their hit single "Home" to close out an incredible set. There is a point in the song where lead singer Alex Ebert tells a story about the moment he knew he was falling in love with fellow vocalist Jade Castrinos, but instead of doing that Ebert hopped the barricade, entered the sea of 30,000 fans and asked if anyone had a story they would like to tell. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced. Sure, I have seen entertainers enter the crowd in smaller venues with an army of security, but this was more than that. Alex made us part of the performance (and it wasn't the first time he did that). Alex asked one young girl to tell her story and she said (in front of a massive crowd) that a year ago she fell into a deep depression, she began cutting herself as a way to self medicate and one thing that helped her get through that period in her life was the music of Edward Sharpe. The next girl he gave the mic to was a girl who hadn't spoken to her sister in over a year but, because of this event, decided to call her sister and reunite at the concert. These moments were incredibly real and uninhibited. It was two people trusting a sea of strangers with something completely personal and private.
Stopover broke through emotional barriers
That moment is what this weekend was about for me. Most concerts you go to, there is a disconnect between the artist and the crowd. The artist is on the stage and there is a barrier between them and you. Alex Ebert physically broke through that barrier and it served as a metaphor for the way the artists participating in this Stopover broke through emotional barriers that often separate a performer who is there to do a job from the crowd. All of the performances at Gentlemen of the Road were raw and intimate. There was a bond between those who were on the stage and those who were in front of it.
The surprise of the show for me of the lesser known performers was the band Half Moon Run. The four piece indie rock band from Montreal, Canada put on a great performance from the moment they stepped on stage through their finale. The thing that set them apart from most other indie bands I have seen is that they are all multitalented. They all four do some vocals. One of the lead singers plays guitar and percussion. The other lead singer plays guitar and keyboard. The drummer plays drums and keyboard … sometimes at the same time (which is something I have never seen before). The fourth member seemed to be able to play just about anything that made a sound. Sometimes you see a band you know nothing about and their performance instantly makes you a fan. I became a fan of Half Mood Run and have added them to my "If they are in your town you should definitely see them" list. They are best known for their single "Full Circle" (which is a great song), but I was completely blown away by their performance of "She Wants to Know" to close out their set.
I remember you, I remember you
I touched on Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros earlier, but this is a band that deserves your attention. At the end of the first night, the band took the stage shortly after dark. In my thirty years of seeing live musical performances, I have never experienced anything quite like this. Frontman Alex Ebert is a mesmeric personality who is part Willy Wonka, part charismatic minister, and part hippy troubadour. Co-vocalist Jade Castrinos is a sweetheart who instantly captures the hearts of the audience with her radiance and smile. Together, along with one of the largest bands of any act I have ever seen, their performance was intimate and transparent. For a man who uses a fake persona of Edward Sharpe, Alex Ebert is shockingly real. There is no pretense. They didn't come to entertain; they came to make a connection with the audience.
At one point in the show, Ebert surfed into the crowd atop the hands and heads of complete strangers. As he looked into the endless sea of faces he said, "I remember you, I remember you, I remember your faces, I remember your eyes". I am not even sure I know what it means, but I know that I will never forget that moment. It seemed like Ebert spent as much time on the barricade (meant to keep the crowd away from the performers), walking among the crowd or surfing on top of the crowd as he did on the stage. He pulled a young girl (who looked to be about 10 years old) onto the stage during the finale and let her play tambourine for the entire song. What an amazing story she has to tell the rest of her life. She performed in front of tens of thousands of people. At another point in the show Ebert went into the crowd and let someone sing a verse of a song. It was such an amazing performance and the energy in that place was completely positive.
Before that performance, I really liked Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, but after experiencing them live, I am completely in love with them now . . . and I am not alone. I talked with a few people in the crowd the second night and everyone was talking about the Edward Sharpe performance. I believe that band could have left the stage and started roaming the hills of Ohio and we all would have followed.
How do you get 30,000 hipsters to square dance?
You bring out the band Old Crow Medicine Show. The best description I have ever heard of an Old Crow Medicine Show performance is "old Appalachian sounds infused with new punk energy". Imagine a group of great rock and roll musicians who tossed their electric guitars and amps and traded them in for banjos and fiddles. Their performance was a high energy blend of bluegrass, country, Americana, blues and folk string music. Each of the eight members is an accomplished musician and frankly some of the best musicians I have ever heard. On any given song you may see up to three banjos, three fiddles, guitars, a slide guitar, a guitjo, a mandolin, stand up bass and any other manner of "old timey" string instrument. The best way I can describe their performance is to imagine if The Grand Ole Opry and Woodstock combined in some alternate universe and became a single entity. The highlight of the performance was when most of the members of Mumford and Sons joined the band on stage for a heartfelt rendition of their platinum single "Wagon Wheel". It was really an amazing experience to sing along with 30,000 people and two of the best bands in the world in total unison.
Mumford and Sons left it all on the field.
40,000 people stood excitedly in a completely dark high school football stadium in Troy, Ohio. "Oh, love was kind for a time, now just aches and makes me blind". The haunting voice of Marcus Mumford pierced the night with the first few bars of "Lover's Eyes". They performed for nearly four minutes in virtual darkness before the lights came on revealing Mumford and Sons on the stage. What followed was one of the most incredible music performances of my lifetime. Even though there were about 40,000 people now crammed into Troy Memorial Stadium, Mumford and Sons delivered an intimate and emotional performance. One thing you often hear a coach say at a football game is "leave it all on the field" and on a rainy Saturday night in Troy, Mumford and Sons left it all on the field.
Before Mumford and Sons took the stage, I heard a young man (probably in his mid '20s) talking with his parents about the band. I turned and asked him if he had educated his parents on the bands at the event so they could enjoy it more. I ended up talking to him and his mother (who were both from Centerville, Ohio) for about ten minutes or so. I think their story really captures what kind of event this was. People from different walks of life, generations, musical tastes and social and economic classes all united on a high school football field in a small Midwestern town. Everywhere you went, you saw people with smiles on their faces. People were dancing, hula hooping, laughing, singing, eating and drinking. None of this would have been possible without the businesses and residents of the City of Troy.
Twenty-five million dollar economic impact
A member of the band said, "No city has embraced these (Gentlemen of the Road) Stopovers like Troy has" and I have no problem believing that. When we were walking from the bus the second night, a group of Troy residents sitting on the porch yelled out, "Welcome to Troy"! We were total strangers invading their town and using up their resources, but it didn't matter. I was sitting next to an elderly couple from Troy and when someone I was with asked them what they thought of all of this, she said, "We think it is just wonderful". I also talked to a group of Troy High School students the first night and they were all very excited that their city was hosting such a huge event, that they got a day off of school on Friday because of the event and that their were beach balls in the crowd (Seriously, they were very excited about the beach balls).
Troy proved that they deserved to be awarded the coveted stopover date as almost all of the festival goers I talked to were very happy with how things were going and with the city. No one that I spoke with had any complaints about the campgrounds, bathrooms, or anything else (except the parking and shuttle buses). Everyone was in a festive mood and excited about the festival.
People liked the food and drinks. I stopped by Bakehouse Bread and Cookie Company and had a delicious strawberry and cream cheese Danish. They were selling mustache shaped bread and cookies that were very cool looking. Inside Troy Memorial Stadium there was a Greek place serving chicken kabobs and gyros that looked and smelled delicious. There were booths selling all kinds of goods from all over the United States. Each booth had their hometown stamped on it so you knew you were supporting a real small business.
When taken as a whole, the Gentlemen of the Road Stopover in Troy was one of the most significant events to ever take place in the Dayton area. It is estimated to have a twelve to twenty-five million dollar economic impact on the area.
Mumford and Sons chose Troy
Mumford and Sons could have had this event in any major city in the world, but they chose to give back to the people who have given so much to them. More artists need to follow the lead of Mumford and Sons and Kid Rock (who is doing a series of concerts for $20 per ticket) and give something back to the community. My dealings with the management of Mumford and Sons has taught me that they are an amazing band, both on and off the stage. This was an event that the estimated 40,000 people that attended the performance, the city of Troy, the volunteers and (I believe) the bands will never forget. I saw the tweets after the last Stopover where people were saying it was one of the best experiences of their lives. I was skeptical. I am not anymore.
If you want to see some shaky video footage from the crowd of many of the moments mentioned in this article check out this Youtube Channel.
Photos: Mumford & Sons Gentlemen of the Road Stopover
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