Picture this, walking into your living room on Christmas morning and seeing the living room piled high with presents and you start shivering from pure excitement. That’s the same excitement that I had when I went to the Mumford & Sons Gentlemen of the Road Tour in Troy, OH on August 30^th and 31^st.

           

           It was a two day festival where the whole town took part. Store fronts opened their doors, putting up shops outside and selling hand crafted pieces and then some. There were all sorts of activities and the food was to die for; all the fried food and beer you could want. Camping was a huge part of this music fest, but I didn't  take part. Something about being within arm’s length of people you don’t know while its 90 degrees outside just wasn't appealing. So our group drove up to Troy both days and the town was so welcoming to all with bus shuttling and parking available.

          

          The first night was great; we got a taste of the indie folk culture. Hippies and flower child’s running around with their hula hoops and tie dye t-shirts. Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros were the show stoppers that night. They got involved with the crowd, pulling people on stage and telling stories. By the end of the night if you hadn't danced around in a circle stomping your feet and pretending you had a tambourine then you were in the wrong place! Edward closed with their most famous song, “Home” and I kid you not everyone knew the words and sang it loud and proud.

           

          Day two was the kicker; the gates opened at noon and by god everyone and their brother was there and ready to have a blast. First thing you had to do was getting yourself and beer and find yourself a spot with a great view. The lineup started with a couple of local bands and finished the night off with the bands Old Crow Medicine Show and Mumford & Sons. Occasionally Mumford and Edward would sneak out and play a number or two with Old Crow. Once they finished there was an intermission; and then the sun set. The lights lit up the sky and then there they were, Mumford & Sons. It was like Christmas morning, seeing them was pure joy. It was like a high, their energy and the way the music just sort of over took your body. The entire audience was singing and dancing; then there were moments of silence were you’d hear just Mumford & Sons in their prime.

            

         I've been to several concerts and this by far was my absolute favorite; the money spent on this show was well worth it. The music was better live than buying the actual CD. They couldn't have done anything differently. Everything about this festival was amazing; the people and the food and especially the music. This was an experience of a life time and I’m so happy I got to experience it.