Mumford & Sons just announced they’re bringing the Prizefighter Tour to Tampa on Friday, August 7, and yes, I’m already emotionally preparing to yell “I will wait” at strangers like it’s a legally binding vow. Benchmark International Arena announced that they will be hosting the band, which is fitting because nothing says “indie folk catharsis” like a big arena full of people doing group therapy through banjos and earnestness.
If you haven’t kept up with Mumford & Sons since the last time you dramatically clutched your steering wheel to “Little Lion Man,” here’s the quick refresher: they’re touring behind their new album Prizefighter, and the whole concept is basically “we’re going to punch your feelings directly in the chest, but politely, with harmonies.” (Hence Prizefighter, which sounds like a scrappy underdog boxer, but in practice is more like your heart getting lightly drop-kicked by a mandolin.)
ADVERTISEMENT
Tickets are expected to follow the usual modern concert ritual: presales first, then general on-sale, then you staring at a queue screen questioning capitalism. Presales start on Tuesday, February 24, at 10 am, with the general public sale beginning on Friday, February 27, at 10 am. You can find more presale info here.
Now, the important Tampa context. The last time Mumford & Sons played a full show in Tampa (as in, the actual band, not a festival-adjacent sighting) was September 20, 2017, at the then-known Amalie Arena. That setlist was basically a greatest-hits sprint through the “stomp-clap-weep” era, including “Awake My Soul,” “The Cave,” and “I Will Wait,” which is why a lot of people left that night feeling like they’d just run a 5K inside their own emotions.
So yeah, this is a big return. Mark August 7. Hydrate. Warm up your singing voice. And if you see me in the crowd pretending I’m “too cool” for the big choruses, mind your business. I’m lying.
