More oomph than the usual softened tempo, the echoing vocals and instrumentals in the howling gridiron, and the amount of people laughing, hypnotized by the music was more than just an enjoyable experience, it was one of a kind.

Thursday, Jan. 19, the Lumineers played at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. Uniqueness is the main characteristic they present, style of indie folk, folk rock, and Americana all combined into one musical mess of piano and cello to guitars and drums with vocals to supplement.

Instantly, the booming vocals paralyzed me and left me standing in awe. After just one minute of hearing lead singer Wesley Schultz, the hairs on my skin stood up and were pierced with shock. Especially on the track, Gun Song. Where his lyrical talent live really were pushed to the limits. Instrumentally, the guitars were loud and proud, insanely enjoyable to listen to their individual strums more specifically on the smash hit, Ho Hey, and Ophelia. Every keystroke on the piano was crisp and sent chills down my spinal cord, leaving me shivering graciously. Along with the relatively usual set of instruments, came a cello, explosively a fierce sound that was incredibly unique and enjoyable to listen to, especially with the combination of (mostly) all these together make their music and in-concert a different experience.

I appreciated the more exciting and lively performance of the Lumineers since mostly their music is slower, terse, and more passive. During the concert however, their performance was incredibly upbeat and each song more exciting than the last. Even during intermission stages between songs (roughly less than 3-5 minutes), Schultz, here and there interacted with the crowd and gave an emotional meaning behind some of his songs, definitely immersive and even heart wrenching, once the song started and I knew the explanation it added a whole new dimension to it, in addition to the song being live.

In complete honesty, this was my second concert I’ve gone to and it was an amazing experience. Most importantly, no dislikes. Not a single one. The enjoyability of jamming out to some exceptional tunes with an awesome crowd was single handedly one of the most memorable moments of my high school career. Every single song was incredible to hear in person, the peak of the concert was the mini encore where the Lumineers played a Bob Dylan song out of nowhere and Schultz screwed up the first line, leading him to swear out loud to the crowd and saying, “sorry everyone, let’s try that again.” Which then proceeds him to rock out a song that isn’t his. 10/10 and would recommend to see this band in person.

-Jack

Experiencing each and every moment that night I knew I would only feel this specific way once. Letting the echo of crowds voices ring in your ears. The Lumineers put on an unforgetable performance. This group is mainly used to small venues, so this was a bit of a change. About the middle of the performance the band choose to make the place feel “a bit smaller” by moving to a small stage in the center of the ground floor. This took me by surprise, but wow, what an awesome decision. It brought a different element to the table. At certain points the lead singer made it seem like he was talking directly to you by the tone of his voice. He spoke about the meanings behind certain songs such as ‘Gun Song’ that related to his recently passed father. In fact, tears built up in my eyes after his story. It was a touching experience that I never wanted to end.

If you have not seen this band in concert then you won’t understand the true depth of each member’s talent. By listening to the songs of a phone you lack the powerful sounds of the cello, piano, and drums. In person I could really hear the cellist and the impact she had on each of the songs. The Lumineers also expanded upon the the song ‘Charlie Boy’. About the lead singer’s uncle passing away at war. I thought it was near impossible for a concert to fall silent however, in the moment Schultz explained the meaning of the song, the room practically fell silent. Once he began singing I tuned into every lyric to grasp the meaning. Chills ran down my spine then the crowd lifted up their light. The room lit up.

When any song by the Lumineers comes on now an instant memory of the concert pops in my head. That night it felt as if nothing else mattered in time because I was lost in the music.
-Julia