The Avett Brothers performed last Thursday night at the State Theater in Portland, Maine to a sold out house bursting with screaming fans.

The Avett Brothers are a of punk-infused, bluegrass jam band that has become intricately intertwined in the lives of their fans. When onstage, their energy seems endless. Their instruments weave around each other; they jump high, scream loud, and successfully match the crowd’s palpable enthusiasm. They write songs filled with the poignant substance and life lessons that one would expect from someone years their senior, and leave listeners feeling as if they are speaking directly to them.

As the lights dimmed and the band made their way to the stage, there was an undeniable surge of energy in the crowd. An eagerness for the words of hope, love, and inspiration that radiate from their feverish and energetic compositions grew to a breaking point. From the moment the first chord was plucked an overwhelming sense of community and joy washed over the auditorium as fans bobbed their heads and cried out for more.

The Avett Brothers spent the next 90 minutes feverishly performing a plethora of songs from their decade-long career. They opened with “And It Spread,” a beautiful and driving song off their latest album, I and Love and You, followed by “Paranoia in B Flat.” They played selections from The Gleam EPs, Emotionalism, and Country Was, all of which helped to satiate the crowd’s desire for the songs that have grown to mean so much to them. I was particularly pleased by the additions of “Colorshow” and “Talk on Indolence” from Four Thieves Gone: The Robbinsonville Sessions — an album I feel is one of their best.

Joe Kwon, the band’s talented cellist, added an extra layer to an already great sound, and drummer Jacob Edwards provided the fierce beats. The band’s normal bass player, Bob Crawford, was absent due to the birth of his son, but Paul Defiglia proved to be a more than adequate stand in.

Seth Avett took a moment to slow things down with his solo acoustic performance of “The Ballad of Love and Hate.” His voice, soft and heart-wrenchingly beautiful, crooned each lyric. Except for the occasional cry of enjoyment, the audience remained almost completely silent during the five-minute stretch, thoroughly engaged in the performance.

It was inspiring to see the 1,500 audience members sing in unison songs like “January Wedding” and “Laundry Room.” The soft nature of each that grows out of love and longing were perfectly suited for the crowd that makes a pilgrimage to each show. They screamed, “It’s not the chase that I love/it’s me following you” to “Kick Drum Heart” as it echoed throughout the venue.

After calls from the audience for one more, the brothers made their way back on stage sans band. Standing arm in arm, they closed out the show with an a cappella rendition of “Down in the Valley to Pray.”

As the curtains closed, it became clear that every once in a while — if you are lucky — a band makes its way into your life and has a profound and undeniable impact. The wide-eyed grins on audience members’ faces and on those of The Avett Brothers themselves only helped to confirm that they are one of these bands.