Usually the last stop on a European tour for a band, last week’s The Lumineers show in Dublin was no different. A farewell, a finish on a high note. Delivering an electrifying performance to conclude their UK and European tour in support of their aptly named third album, III.
By now, the heavyweights of folk-rock genre, The Lumineers are everything you’d expect. Band members themselves like the barefoot pianist Stelth Ulvang, lead vocalist Wesley Schultz to variety in instruments expertly infused in their music melts it all into a mesmerising audio, visual delight.
Since the beginning of The Lumineers, they have attracted a flock of fans that are not just the audience, the crowd, but part of every song. When performing hits such as ‘Stubborn Love’, ‘Ophelia’ it wasn’t just the band singing, it was the 13,000 strong choir in unison! That’s the beauty of The Lumineers, the music’s easy accessibility, so much so you can’t help but join in and share in the moment.
Having hit the ground running on their debut album, with early songs like ‘Ho Hey’ gaining them much of their initial recognition (even my friend referred to them as the ‘Ho Hey’ band before the concert). Their latest album, III, while sticking to their roots with songs like ‘Donna’, ‘Life In the City’ and ‘Gloria’, proves that The Lumineers can, and do, explore new approaches to their music with tracks like ‘My Cell’ and ‘Salt and the Sea’ a stark contrast from previous albums. They masterfully show their range of music. And the audience loved it!
The setlist was skilfully put together, scratching the itch of hearing their classic hits for the diehard fans, while increasing the tempo of the night and weaving in the songs from III, to surprise and give fresh new sounds. Ending in a crescendo of confetti cannons across 3Arena and concluding the journey of the night, a spectacular concert and their European tour.
The Lumineer’s third album III is available to purchase and stream now via Decca Records.