Photo Courtesy of The Lumineers
It was an auspicious start to The Lumineers show last Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum. The percolating guitars and falsetto swoon of The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” filtered through the darkness, words and images displaying love and war from the classic rock tune filling the projection screens in rapid succession. For one of the most popular American folk-rock bands, The Lumineers were in fine company referencing their “forefathers.” And they demonstrated exactly why they reach across many musical genres throughout their performance.
Composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Wesley Schultz and drummer Jeremiah Fraites, the group has risen quickly since they started out 15 years ago, their indie-folk Americana songs best suited to more intimate spaces. So, how did that translate to the cavernous space of Fiserv Forum and a crowd of more than 10,000 people?
Incredibly well, given the simple staging; the stellar sound system and an “up-close and personal” approach placed the band within a circular pit of fans as they played, often coming right to the front and sides. With its talented group of four touring musicians, The Lumineers were ready to play anything—and did.
Their short, simple style of songwriting made for a 23-song set, featuring crowd favorites like their best-known first single, “Ho Hey,” which had the audience in (very) full voice. Another hit, the plaintive, gorgeous “Stubborn Love,” closed the show on a fitting note. But it was often the songs named after women that elicited high energy back and forth: “Gloria,” “Donna,” “Cleopatra” and one of the evening’s highlights, “Ophelia.”
Some of the band’s most eloquent work were covers. Schultz deftly kept pace with the non-stop speak-sing lyrics of Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” showing just how versatile the band is at reinterpreting a classic. But it was the very timely “Democracy” by Leonard Cohen that resonated with the crowd given today’s political climate. Bringing back onstage opening acts by Kenyan singer J.S. Ondara and lead vocalist and guitarist Matt Quinn of Mt. Joy, the musicians traded off vocals while the lyrics projected behind them. The chorus’s refrain, “Democracy is coming to the USA” brought a new meaning to America in 2020, and The Lumineers delivered that—and so much more.
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