On Tuesday night, the popular folk-rock band the Lumineers played for a sold out crowd in Charlottesville at the Pavillion. While the crowd was heavily represented by UVa students, people from all over the Commonwealth came to see the Grammy-nominated group.
Second year Emily Randolph drove over an hour from James Madison University to see her favorite song “Angela” performed live.
“He [Wesley Schultz, head singer of Lumineers] was an incredible performer and the confetti was sick,” Randolph said, “It created a really cool atmosphere.”
Sam Reiner, a third year at Virginia Military Institute, said that the concert was the first he has been to with loads of confetti. He planned months in advance to see the Lumineers live.
“When I bought these tickets months ago when they went on presale, I decided the distance didn’t really matter as long as I got to see the Lumineers,” Reiner said, “The last time they toured was before they released their latest album, so I figured if I was ever going to get to see them…this was my shot.”
During the show, Schultz mentioned briefly how his brother went to UVa and how he used to do mini shows in his brother’s apartment living room. For something special, Schultz and his band (which included members Neyla Pekarek, Jeremiah Caleb Fraites, and Stelth Ulvang) went in the middle of the crowd and played for the audience in the back.
“I go to a fair amount of concerts and even went to my first music this summer, but I’ve never been at a show where the artist actually came down into the audience and performed there, let alone have an entire hidden second stage in the middle of the venue,” Reiner said, “I was standing three people from the front in the middle and before I knew it, Wesley [Schultz] was walking right by us.”
Another highlight of the concert for Reiner was when Schultz asked the crowd to put away their phones so that they could enjoy the show with the band in the moment instead of on their individual screens.
Fourth year University of Virginia student Betsy Mello spoke highly of Schultz’s request.
“I actually really respected him for asking the crowd to put away their phones, Mello said, “[Schultz] really appreciates the power of music, having entwined so much of his personal life into the lyrics, and it was cool that he wanted to share all of that emotion with the crowd.”
Mello added that by asking the crowd to disconnect from their electronics, “it proved that his genuine passion for music is more important to him than his worldwide stardom”.
Throughout the show, die-hard and casual fans alike sang along to hit songs “Stubborn Love,” “Ho Hey,” and “Ophelia.” During many of the breaks in between songs, Shultz re-counted a backstory of his inspiration to introduce the particular tune.
Reiner left the show pleased and satisfied.
“I think the Lumineers are a special band for me because their sound isn’t something you really hear in the music scene today, an oddity in the crazy pop and rap culture,” said Reiner, “Whether it is the broad use of instruments or relatable lyrics like love and loss in a someone’s life, there is something with their sound that resonates with me.”
