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| Marcus Mumford @ the Fillmore (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Marcus Mumford entered The Fillmore in fighting shape, ready to play to a sold-out crowd on Saturday night and follow it up quickly with a Sunday set at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Mumford, looking much leaner and with his hair closely cropped, was well-prepared to take on the task of presenting his new solo material to a crowd hoping to partake in Mumford & Sons classics.
Mumford gave the crowd what they wanted early - beginning the show with three Mumford & Sons staples presented in a stripped-down spotlight solo with only an acoustic guitar. “Awake My Soul” was followed by mega-hit “The Cave” - here delivered slowly and quietly with Mumford holding back the reins and never releasing the song into its normal gallop. He completed the opening trifecta of his larger group’s songs with a similarly delivered “Delta” before readying to present his new self-titled album.
Mumford's writing on the new album is deeply personal and raw. His recent public discussion of being an abuse survivor has been spotlighted in much of the album’s coverage. On this night, it was presented in sequential album order – veering back and forth from solo acoustic to minimal accompaniment and then off to full band support. The ending of his live rendition of the album’s first track “Cannibal” saw the night finally break free of the early acoustic restraint into a full sonic and light explosion that ignited the crowd and the energy of following “Grace” continued to lift the energy for the rest of the night.
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| Marcus Mumford @ the Fillmore (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
The new material drew the crowd in, with Mumford frequently engaging in self-deprecating banter combined with frequent mentions of the joy of returning to San Francisco and his deep respect and appreciation to take the stage at the historic Fillmore. Ordered by his doctor to trim down and get in shape for his health, a wry-smiling Mumford celebrated his visit to local fave Jane The Bakery, telling the crowd he had done a diet jail break and bought a dozen pastries that he savored in his nearby hotel room.
Mumford closed out the album portion and main set with a powerful version of “How” – a haunting song of forgiveness toward his abuser – before returning to the stage for a four-song encore. Mumford began by asking for extreme quiet and The Fillmore crowd obliged as he delivered a version of Mumford & Sons’ “White Blank Page” without amplification. Standing in a single spotlight with only his voice and acoustic guitar, he kept the audience spellbound as he delivered a tour debut version that went off the scripted set he had been adhering to on this tour. The night wrapped triumphantly with three Dylan-related songs: a cover of “Not Dark Yet” and then into two standouts from 2014’s The New Basement Tapes project with a swooning “When I Get My Hands On You” and a rollicking “Kansas City.”
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| Danielle Ponder @ the Fillmore (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Opener Danielle Ponder will very likely be headlining this venue the next time she journeys into town. She kept the crowd fully engaged and energized with material from her recent debut album “Some of Us Are Brave.” A former public defender, she demonstrated her bravery by leaving the profession as she neared the age of 40 to pursue her true calling -- singing. The world is much better for it. Ponder inspires obvious comparisons to the power and passion of Nina Simone but adds a surprising touch of early Grace Slick to the mix. Her 40 minute-plus opening set began with the crowd filing in and ended with rapt attention and a raucous ovation and plea for more. No doubt word will have spread in this city of her being one not to miss by the time she hits the Porch Stage at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass on Sunday.
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