I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Lord Huron live on three separate occasions thus far: performing at the Firefly Music Festival, opening for Alt-J at the 9:30 Club, and now, taking the stage at the 9:30 Club themselves. And they really took that stage. Stormed it in fact. Touring now with Night Moves (a fantastic, albeit ironic, fill-in for original openers Night Beds), Lord Huron performed at their first headlining show at the 9:30 Club with an energy and vibrancy that far surpassed the already wondrous performances I’d experienced before.
A charming jazz-folk group from Minneapolis, Night Moves truly embodied their name–their songs are nearly impossible not to groove to. In my opinion, their live show blew their recorded material out of the water with the addition of rhythmic dreamy guitar solos and flourishes to the already spacey sound on their record Colored Emotions. The chill and enchanting tones they produce are almost a throwback to some of the spacier songs produced by Fleetwood Mac, particularly with the harmonizing guitars, active blues drums, and floaty riffs of the title track. The vocals themselves were altogether different than you may think, with a smoothly shifting yet gruffly toned falsetto somewhat similar to that of Mark Foster (Foster the People) and backup harmonies reminiscent of Midlake and Caveman. They discussed new material planned for this summer, and you can bet that we’re excited to see what they come out with next!
When it was time for Lord Huron however, the place erupted. Yelps of excitement echoed through the concert chamber as the young and folky Michiganders took the stage to sounds of thunder, cricket chirps and rain, the stage lights flickering in a simulation of lightning as bandleader Ben Schneider emerged with Mark Barry, Miguel Briseño, Tom Renaud, and Karl Kerfoot soon to follow. They kicked off the show with “Ends Of The Earth”, the first track from Lonesome Dreams. And almost immediately, the crowd began to sing along. A hopeful croon depicted the vastness of life and their willingness to experience it all, the pace of their guitars, harmonies, and maracas mounting to crescendos before slowing again, simulating the flow of our lives.
As the night continued, the room swayed and sang with the mostly fast paced airy-folk catching everyone’s rhythm. The show was being filmed from numerous angles for what sounded like a side project for the band and it was clear from the excitement of the sold out crowd that they’d chosen the right place and time to document their newly found explosion of success. Their lyrics are relatable, their choruses catchy, and their sound and energy infectious. This isn’t just any indie-folk band and their shows aren’t purely indie-folk shows. Lord Huron goes above and beyond, to create a unified experience for all in attendance with songs containing ghostly echoes of memories and emotions paired with a wondrous cacophony of guitars, keys, bass, percussion, and sweet harmonies.
Full Set List:
- Ends Of The Earth
- The Man Who Lives Forever
- I Will Be Back One Day
- We Went Wild
- Mighty
- The Ghost On The Shore
- She Lit A Fire
- Lonesome Dreams
- In The Wind
- Lullaby
- Time To Run
Encore:
- Brother (Last Ride)
- The Stranger
–Jordan Grobe