Mumford & Sons bring the Prizefighter Tour to Gilford's summer setting
Mumford & Sons arrive at BankNH Pavilion in Gilford on August 15, 2026, at a moment when their concert repertoire simultaneously spans two very different phases of the band: the songs that turned them into one of the most recognizable names in folk rock in the early 2010s and material from the current album "Prizefighter". It is precisely this combination that matters for this performance. The audience is not coming only for "Little Lion Man", "The Cave" or "I Will Wait", but also for a picture of a band that, after more than a decade of major tours, is once again very actively reshaping its own catalog.
The concert is part of the Prizefighter Tour, and BankNH Pavilion suits the character of their music: a large open-air amphitheater, a covered seating section and a lawn area create a different feeling from an indoor arena. Acoustic guitars, banjo, multi-part vocals and songs built toward big communal choruses can, in exactly this kind of space, move from a relatively intimate beginning to mass audience sing-alongs.
Ticket sales for this event are underway.
Prizefighter marks a new, distinctly productive phase for the band
Mumford & Sons today consists of Marcus Mumford, Ted Dwane and Ben Lovett. After the long gap between the albums "Delta" and "Rushmere", the band accelerated its pace of work: "Rushmere" was released in 2025, and "Prizefighter", their sixth studio album, followed as early as 2026.
"Prizefighter" contains 14 songs, and Mumford & Sons produced the album together with Aaron Dessner. Hozier, Chris Stapleton, Gigi Perez and Gracie Abrams make guest appearances on the recordings. Their names are important for understanding the band's current sound, but they should not automatically be expected in Gilford - they have not been announced as guests for this concert.
The album opens with "Here" featuring Chris Stapleton, while "Rubber Band Man" includes Hozier. The track list also includes "The Banjo Song", "Run Together", "Icarus", "Badlands", the title track "Prizefighter", "Begin Again" and "Stay". That is enough new material for the current tour not to feel like a retrospective run through the greatest hits.
At the same time, the band's history still carries considerable weight. The album "Babel" won the Grammy for Album of the Year, while songs from the "Sigh No More" and "Babel" eras have remained the foundation of their concert identity. That early combination of folk, rock dynamics, acoustic instruments and choruses designed for communal singing still shapes the audience response at their performances.
What the tour's concerts so far suggest about the repertoire
The exact set list for Gilford has not been published, and it should not be assumed that the band will repeat any earlier concert song for song. Still, performances on the Prizefighter Tour provide a good framework for what they are currently bringing to the stage.
On U.S. dates during the summer, songs from the new album such as "Rubber Band Man", "Icarus", "Prizefighter", "Badlands", "Here" and "The Banjo Song" have appeared alongside older titles such as "Little Lion Man", "The Cave", "I Will Wait", "White Blank Page", "Awake My Soul", "Lover of the Light", "Ditmas" and "The Wolf". The order and selection of songs change from night to night.
That means the concert is particularly well suited to audiences looking for a cross-section of several periods of the band:
- fans of the early albums because of songs from the "Sigh No More" and "Babel" eras
- audiences who followed the band through the more rock-oriented "Wilder Mind" and the later "Delta"
- listeners who returned with "Rushmere" and the current "Prizefighter"
- visitors for whom a concert format with big choruses, but also quieter acoustic sections, is important
Recent repertoires also show that Mumford & Sons do not build the entire evening around a single level of volume. Big rock-folk songs alternate with quieter moments, so the concert can move from an almost chamber-like feeling to a chorus that takes over the entire venue.
Medium Build opens the main program, while music begins as soon as the gates open
The schedule for BankNH Pavilion gives visitors a fairly clear picture of the evening. Parking lots open at 4:30 PM, and the venue gates at 6:00 PM. At the same time, Jake Swamp and the Pine perform on the Hazy Little Stage.
Medium Build takes the main stage at 7:30 PM. Mumford & Sons are currently scheduled for 9:00 PM.
This is an important practical distinction for anyone who sees 7:30 PM on their ticket: that time marks the beginning of the main concert program with the support act, not the start of Mumford & Sons' performance. Visitors who want to hear Medium Build or also catch the program on the Hazy Little Stage should plan to arrive considerably before the headliner takes the stage.
Medium Build is the only announced support act on the main stage for this date. Any collaboration between performers during the Mumford & Sons set cannot be assumed in advance simply because similar joint moments have happened on other dates of the tour.
BankNH Pavilion is an important part of the experience of this concert
BankNH Pavilion is located at 72 Meadowbrook Ln in Gilford, New Hampshire. The venue developed from the earlier Meadowbrook concept, and today it describes itself as an amphitheater with around 9,000 seats. The concert area combines a covered pavilion and an open lawn section, so the experience depends significantly on the type of ticket and location within the venue.
For Mumford & Sons, this format has several advantages. The audience under the roof gets a more traditional concert-hall feeling, while the lawn section retains the character of a summer open-air performance. The stage remains the focal point of both areas, but the way the audience experiences slower acoustic songs and big finales can be very different.
The location is in New Hampshire's Lakes Region, an area dominated by Lake Winnipesaukee. This means Gilford is not a typical stop in the center of a major city. For travelers combining the concert with a stay in the region, the lakeside surroundings and mountain scenery give this date a different character from the arenas on the same tour.
It is worth securing tickets in good time.
Gilford comes at an interesting point in the North American tour
The Gilford date falls in the middle of an intensive August stretch of the Prizefighter Tour. The band has a series of U.S. performances before it, including concerts in New York, and the very next day the schedule takes them to Montréal.
For that reason, BankNH Pavilion is not an isolated summer performance, but part of a continuous touring series in which the repertoire has already taken shape across a large number of halls, stadiums, festivals and amphitheaters. This is precisely what makes comparisons with previous performances possible without claiming that Gilford will receive an identical program.
It is also interesting for the audience that this is a venue large enough for a full-production concert, yet without the same physical distance between performers and audience that enormous stadium spaces can create. The lawn section additionally changes the rhythm of the evening: the audience spreads out across the open space, while the covered section retains a more concentrated concert energy.
Arrival and parking should be planned before departure
BankNH Pavilion bases much of its arrival organization on road traffic and parking areas around the venue. Parking for this concert begins at 4:30 PM. Because this is a summer event with a large number of visitors, it is more practical to allow extra time for the approach, guidance to the appropriate parking lot and security screening than to time arrival immediately before the performance.
The navigation address is:
BankNH Pavilion, 72 Meadowbrook Ln, Gilford, NH 03249, United States
The venue publishes driving directions from different directions, including approaches via Route 11 and Route 11-B. Visitors coming from outside Gilford should check their specific route before traveling because the Lake Winnipesaukee area is an active tourist destination during the summer season.
Special instructions apply to people who need accessible parking. Spaces are assigned according to availability on the day of the event, with the appropriate placard displayed on the vehicle, and staff direct vehicles toward accessible zones or the nearest available parking area.
Entry rules are especially important for visitors in the lawn section
BankNH Pavilion has detailed rules regarding items that can pass through security screening. They are worth checking immediately before departure because an individual tour may have additional requirements.
According to the rules currently published:
- a small clutch bag up to 6 x 9 inches or a clear bag up to 12 x 12 x 6 inches is permitted
- fanny packs are permitted and subject to inspection
- personal chairs cannot be brought into the venue
- a blanket may be brought in if you have a lawn ticket
- outside food and drinks are not permitted
- an empty reusable water bottle may be brought in and filled at stations inside the venue
- professional cameras with interchangeable lenses are not permitted, while simpler non-professional cameras are allowed under the venue's general rules
Because part of the audience is outdoors, it is useful to take weather conditions into account. Umbrellas are permitted under the rules, but they may not be open during the performance, so the venue recommends suitable rain protection.
For the lawn section, it is especially important not to count on bringing your own chair. This is one of the practical matters that can change the plan for the evening if the rules are checked only at the entrance.
How to experience the concert without trying to guess the set list
The best way to prepare for this performance is not to assemble a supposedly "safe" set list. Mumford & Sons have a large enough catalog during the Prizefighter Tour to rotate songs, change the quieter sections of the evening and adjust the finale.
It is more useful to listen to several clear reference points in their catalog before the concert. "Little Lion Man", "The Cave" and "I Will Wait" explain why the band became synonymous with a big folk-rock concert sound. "Believe" and "Ditmas" demonstrate the rock-oriented direction of the middle of their career. "Rushmere" represents a return to a more acoustic language, while "Rubber Band Man", "Prizefighter", "The Banjo Song", "Icarus" and "Here" provide context for the current tour.
That kind of preparation makes more sense than expecting one fixed order. Recent concerts confirm that old favorites and current material regularly meet, but they do not confirm exactly what will be played in Gilford.
Who this concert is particularly interesting for
Longtime fans get the opportunity to hear a band that is not behaving like an act on a nostalgia tour. "Prizefighter" is fresh enough and sufficiently represented in current performances to have a genuine role in the concert.
On the other hand, audiences who know only the biggest hits will not necessarily be left outside the context. Mumford & Sons' early catalog remains strongly present in their live identity, while songs such as "The Cave", "Little Lion Man" and "I Will Wait" continue during the tour to serve as important links between the audience that has followed them from the beginning and newer listeners.
BankNH Pavilion additionally makes this date attractive to people who prefer summer amphitheaters to indoor arenas. The option to choose between the covered section and the lawn gives the evening the character of a classic North American summer concert, while the location in the Lakes Region makes it possible to fit the performance into a wider stay around Lake Winnipesaukee.
What to check immediately before traveling
The schedule currently published is very specific: parking at 4:30 PM, gates at 6:00 PM, Jake Swamp and the Pine on the Hazy Little Stage at 6:00 PM, Medium Build at 7:30 PM and Mumford & Sons at 9:00 PM. Still, for a concert involving several performers and a large open-air venue, it is sensible to check the schedule once again on the day of the event.
The same applies to entry rules and weather conditions. Pay particular attention to bag size, the rule on chairs for the lawn, the empty reusable water bottle and the parking opening time. In this way, most of the logistics are resolved before arrival, and the evening can remain focused on what people are coming for: the current Mumford & Sons, songs from "Prizefighter" and a catalog that has already worked in front of large concert audiences for more than a decade.
Sources:
- Mumford & Sons - information about the concert in Gilford, the current tour, discography and the albums "Prizefighter" and "Rushmere"
- BankNH Pavilion - evening schedule, Medium Build, Jake Swamp and the Pine, parking and gate opening times, address, entry rules and venue information
- GRAMMY.com - information about the Grammy Award for the album "Babel"
- Associated Press - context on the album "Prizefighter", the band members and collaborators on the album
- Setlist.fm - repertoires from recent Prizefighter Tour concerts used as an overview of previous performances, not as an announcement of the set list in Gilford
- Visit New Hampshire - context on Gilford, the Lakes Region, Lake Winnipesaukee and BankNH Pavilion