Eagerness and anticipation was at the highest of levels on Friday evening (March 31) in Edmonton as Rogers Place played host to folk-rock giants the Lumineers. For the second time in less than a year, the band would grace the Alberta capital with their presence; this time, on their "Cleopatra World Tour Continues" Tour, and on a much larger scale in comparison to their first visit in mid 2016 at the Sonic Boom! Festival. On their final stop and largest show for this leg of the tour, the Lumineers utilized every aspect of the new venue in a performance that was impactful and memorable.
The air was electric, the overwhelming excitement of the jam-packed crowd apparent when the large black curtain covering the stage finally dropped. Those who where seated rose from their seats and roars flooded the arena, followed shortly after by the sound of thousands singing along with lead vocalist Wesley Schultz as he sat at a piano performing "Submarines." The audience remained on their feet for the duration of the set, and during single "Ho Hey," concertgoers sang and stomped along hard enough to shake the stands.
Shultz spoke to the audience about the inspiration behind many of the songs he had written, including "Gun Song," which he said was about his father's passing after a battle with cancer. The stories gave meaningful context to the songs, and gave the show an emotional edge.
Not shying away from the audience, the Lumineers made their way through the centre of the floor crowd and onto a small, tightly packed platform to re-enact and pay homage to the band's earlier days of playing smaller, more intimate venues. During fan favourite "Ophelia," Schultz threw his tambourine high into the air, letting it crash to the floor as he ran off stage and through the aisles in a similar fashion to the song's music video.
The audience seemed to know both the newer and older tunes from the band's repertoire, as if they'd been singing them for years. Near the end of their set, the Lumineers played their rendition of "Walls" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and during their encore, included Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues," which took energy levels to a climax before closing the show. After their final song, the Lumineers joined hands with one another and took a bow, before throwing every drum stick, guitar pick, set list and anything else they could find into the crowd.
The air was electric, the overwhelming excitement of the jam-packed crowd apparent when the large black curtain covering the stage finally dropped. Those who where seated rose from their seats and roars flooded the arena, followed shortly after by the sound of thousands singing along with lead vocalist Wesley Schultz as he sat at a piano performing "Submarines." The audience remained on their feet for the duration of the set, and during single "Ho Hey," concertgoers sang and stomped along hard enough to shake the stands.
Shultz spoke to the audience about the inspiration behind many of the songs he had written, including "Gun Song," which he said was about his father's passing after a battle with cancer. The stories gave meaningful context to the songs, and gave the show an emotional edge.
Not shying away from the audience, the Lumineers made their way through the centre of the floor crowd and onto a small, tightly packed platform to re-enact and pay homage to the band's earlier days of playing smaller, more intimate venues. During fan favourite "Ophelia," Schultz threw his tambourine high into the air, letting it crash to the floor as he ran off stage and through the aisles in a similar fashion to the song's music video.
The audience seemed to know both the newer and older tunes from the band's repertoire, as if they'd been singing them for years. Near the end of their set, the Lumineers played their rendition of "Walls" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and during their encore, included Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues," which took energy levels to a climax before closing the show. After their final song, the Lumineers joined hands with one another and took a bow, before throwing every drum stick, guitar pick, set list and anything else they could find into the crowd.
