The Crest Theatre is a sit-down venue. The Avett Brothers are a stand-up-and-stomp-your-feet band. It came as no surprise that halfway through the final song of their set list on Tuesday night, many in attendance exploded from their seats and rushed the stage, raucously dancing out the remainder of the song as well as the encore that followed.

I noticed upon entering the Crest that the sold-out crowd spanned several generations, a testament to the band’s blend of styles and a validation of my choice to bring my parents to the show (which saved me some serious money).

After the opening act, Truth and Salvage Co. – not a bad band, but not particularly noteworthy -- my mom and I shared a glass of wine while my dad grabbed a bucket of popcorn, one perk of seeing a concert in an old movie theatre. We returned to our seats as the lights dimmed.

The Avett Brothers took the stage and eased into a ballad called “Yardsale,” from their 2006 acoustic EP, The Gleam. Seth Avett played guitar lightly and began to sing while his brother Scott trickled a banjo melody in the background. Bassist Bob Crawford and cellist Joe Kwon joined in slowly, almost imperceptibly, and what started as a sparse ballad became a densely layered, somewhat heavy song.

This is what makes the Avett Brothers special – their most tender moments mingle constantly with their gritty moments, often within the same song, from one line to the next. It feels very raw, passionate and impulsive.

As “Yardsale” ended, another band member appeared from backstage and sat down at a previously vacant drum set. The band launched into “Tin Man,” a lively track from their Rick Rubin-produced, major-label-debut album, “I and Love and You,” which came out in late 2009.

The band had no drummer the previous times I saw them; the brothers handled their own percussion. Scott stomped at a floor-mounted bass drum while Seth stomped a high-hat, the sum of which created a jolting and crashing effect. It was very gritty and authentic. They didn't get rid of those percussion pieces, but the addition of a part-time drummer changed the dynamic a bit.

Not that the drummer sounded bad; he sounded just fine. But to me he seemed unnecessary. It felt like a step in the direction of mainstream normalcy, robbing the band of some of its charm. But then again, my parents, who had never seen the band, couldn’t really imagine them without that drummer.

They went on to bounce between love songs like "January Wedding" and "I and Love and You" and upbeat tracks like "All Fall Down" and "At the Beach." A standout moment came at the end of "Salina," when Seth sat down at a piano and traded flat melodies with Kwon's cello. The effect was haunting, theatric and beautiful.

During the show, the brothers told the crowd that as kids they traveled regularly to Sacramento from their home in North Carolina to visit family. They said the city feels like a second home and spoke about a show they once played at the Fair Oaks Amphitheater back in their early days. Scott Avett said there were probably more chickens in attendance than actual people.

The Avett Brothers have come a long way since then, touring endlessly and releasing five studio albums and two EPs since 2003. Their last three albums have landed progressively higher on Billboard’s Top 100, with their latest, “I and Love and You,” reaching #16.

This summer they will be opening for John Mayer, which is one reason I made it a point to see them now. I’m convinced that anybody who sees this band will fall in love with them, meaning millions of ogling girls may soon get on board. I wouldn’t blame them, but it could mean the end of them playing intimate venues like the Crest.

The encore ended with “Salvation Song,” a 2004 tune that contains the following lyrics: “They may pay us off in fame / but that is not why we came / and if it compromises truth then we will go.”

Since the first time I saw them in 2007, they’ve added a drummer, signed to a major label, sold their CD at Starbucks and signed on to tour with John Mayer.

And yet: I don’t think a shred of artistic truth has been “compromised.” They’re an excellent band, and the show at the Crest was no exception.

- Photos courtesy of Colleen Cox (my mom) and her second-rate cell phone.