The Lumineers turned London’s O2 Arena into an idyllic, intimate, and entertaining space of familiarity, starlight, and an unforgettable set list of the band’s hits. At a time when obsessive fans often frantically scream, The Lumineers were surrounded by dedicated fans, bewitched, amazed, echoing back every single lyric. The arena remained absolutely in sync with the band and the tempo of each song.
The Lumineers’ fans were in for a treat, in for a night of anthemic soundscapes, acoustic ballads, and a delightful performance by the founding members Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites alongside the incredibly talented band, with the star of the night, Stelth Ulvang and his antics.
Touring with their fifth album, ‘Automatic,’ they opened the night with one of the singles, ‘Same Old Song,’ and the nostalgic ‘Flowers In Your Hair.’ It didn’t take long, and you suddenly started to feel the world outside this arena no longer existed. All that was left was the sound of a guitar, piano, and the signature Lumineers tambourine, singing along with friends and hopeful yelping.
The frontmen, Wesley and Jeremiah, seemed taken aback by the audience of their biggest show to date. In awe of all the love and adoration, they wanted to honor their 20-year-long journey with another track from ‘AUTOMATIC’ – ‘You’re All I Got.’
For ‘Charlie Boy’ and its iconic lyric “Love should make you feel good,” the tour’s support act, Michael Marcagi, returned back to the stage to give us a version of the song we should now demand on all streaming services.
Throughout the night, there were a dozen songs, when all the fans needed was a few guitar notes, and they would stand up knowing exactly what songs were coming. In the case of ‘Ho Hey,’ the reaction was instant, and hearing the track live, with a full back band, it’s been confirmed that the universe will never be tired of hearing the glorious chants.
Wesley and Jeremiah also reminisced about the early days of the Lumineers, when they used to hop around New York bars doing covers as they shared their version of Oasis ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger.’ Wanting to give the fans even more to remember, Wesley stepped into the crowd as he sang ‘BRIGHTSIDE,’ and it was pretty touching to see the audience making space for him, calmly but still admiring him.
Personal show highlights would have to be the confetti-falling ‘Sleep On The Floor,’ the hopeful, reassuring anthem, ‘WHERE WE ARE,’ the mega-hit ‘Ophelia,’ which provided a great tambourine-throwing show between Wesley and ‘The Barefoot Wandered’ Stealth.
What the band has done with ‘Big Parade,’ a song taken from their 2012 self-titled album, a track I wasn’t too familiar with, was a truly stellar showmanship. Rather than traditionally introducing each band member, they encouraged everyone to sing along to a verse of ‘Big Parade,’ with keyboardist/pianist Stelth Ulvang opting for a headstand on top of his instrument instead.
On the closing tracks, Wesley wished happy birthday to his wife with an acapella version of ‘Cleopatra’ and my personal favorite ‘Stubborn Love,’ and its heart-wrenching line, “It’s better to feel pain than nothing at all.”
The Lumineers put on a splendid show, covering all emotions on the spectrum. The atmosphere was delightfully tranquil, the vocal performances were outstanding, and the cherry on top was seeing the band’s togetherness and pure enjoyment from performing for their fans.
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Words: Karolina Kramplova
Photograph: Noa Griffel