Many would say that Mumford & Sons heralded the rebirth of popular folk rock in the early 2010s, and deservedly so. The much-loved and acclaimed British band fronted by Marcus Mumford strummed their way to seveal No. 1 records and an Album of the Year Grammy Award in 2013 for album “Babel.” But could a band so emblematic of a specific time in recent music history still garner enthusiasm in 2025?

A roaring PPG Paints Arena crowd on Sunday night would say yes.

Mumford and his duo of current bandmates managed to put the “arena” in arena rock, despite being best known for their bluegrass roots, exuberant banjo and weighty lyrics. They were assisted by a battery of musicians on keys, horns and drums, filling the cavernous space to the rafters with a densely woven tapestry of sound.

Mumford & Sons’ eclectic influences were evident in their choice of opening acts, kicking off with the Montreal-based Barr Brothers, whose Americana (Canadiana?) songs made the full arena feel like a smoky bar on a Saturday night. On the other hand, the very retro Stephen Sanchez brought more groove, with almost a dozen catchy tunes inspired by doo-wop, early R&B and mid-century country that worked perfectly with the singer’s versatile vocals.

Through about 20 songs, the crowd got a tour of Mumford & Sons’ discography at their first Pittsburgh show since 2019, including a few cuts from this year’s new album “Rushmere.” Even better, Pittsburgh got a sneak peek at what’s next for the band with a couple of not-yet-released songs.

They opened with one of those, “Run Together,” which started with the sweet combination of banjo and vocals that would show up again and again throughout the set before evolving into a stompy, floor-shaking folk rock banger.

Of course, they came with their memorable hits, too, including an early crowd pleaser in “Little Lion Man,” where Mumford left a couple of the choruses in the able hands of the singing audience.

One of the best parts of the band’s performance was their ability to play quieter, more earnest verses and turn them into big, shouty choruses, as in “Hopeless Wanderer,” and then in “Lover of the Light,” where the horns blared in to bring even more dimension to the soul-tinged tune.

“It is good to be back in your town,” Mumford said. “You know, when you play a Sunday night, you have to pick carefully. The great thing about Pittsburgh is you don’t make it feel like Sunday.”

A little flattery never hurts.

The one song that didn’t quite hit for me was the burning “Truth,” which whiplashed too much into country rock with the inclusion of jets of fire behind the musicians. Fortunately, they veered back into their wheelhouse when they took to the second stage at the back of the floor for a duo of gentle, sparse tunes in “After the Storm” and “Guiding Light,” both hightlights — no pun intended — where Mumford got to show off the emotional depth of his voice.

But Mumford’s journey throughout the arena wasn’t over; during alt-rock tune “Ditmas,” Mumford jogged up to the concourse, followed by a spotlight that had spectators whipping their heads around to find him. He made it back to the stage in time to rile everyone up with hit song “The Cave” — even if he did sound a tad out of breath for the first verse.

Giving fans something else to look forward to, the band played an upcoming tune that’s a collaboration with singer-songwriter Hozier, “Rubber Band Man.” It will be released this Friday, and it’s a real return to form for them, catchy and banjo-filled with just enough emotional depth to make it memorable.

After the blow-your-hair-back pre-encore rocker “The Wolf,” they played a nicely varied encore. It began with Mumford praising Pittsburgh, and especially a trip to Tom’s Sports Bar. “We don’t have anything like Tom’s Sports Bar in England,” he said.

He asked the audience to be quiet as the three band members took to the front of the stage to sing the gorgeous and minimally adorned “Timshel” together at one microphone. It was a great moment, even if some couldn’t help themselves but ignore the request for silence.

After transitioning to “Awake My Soul,” they brought out the expected set ender, mega-hit “I Will Wait.” The whole crowd sang along and Matt Menefee’s frenetic banjo was the perfect accompaniment. But they weren’t done yet.

“Usually we’d end the show there, but we decided we’d give you a little bit more,” Mumford said. “This last couple years, we’ve written and recorded more songs than we ever have in our life as a band.”

The last song, called “A Conversation with my Son, Gangsters, and Angels,” was really an ideal closer, starting off very Simon and Garfunkel and exploding into yet another arena rock refrain. If this is what fans can expect from future Mumford & Sons music, they’ll certainly be back the next time the band comes to town.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)