I had never been a huge fan of The Lumineers, but when my friends kept asking me if I was going to the concert, I started to wonder if I was missing out. When a spot opened up to cover the show, I told myself this was my time to discover the reason behind the band’s acclaim. Going in only knowing bits and pieces of the band’s most viral songs, I was blown away by the amazing show The Lumineers put on, filled with emotionally charged performances and stories that moved the crowd.
Nashvillians gathered in Bridgestone Arena on Oct. 3 for the “Automatic World Tour,” named after The Lumineers’ most recent album, “Automatic,” released earlier this year. The band, founded by lead singer Wesley Schultz and drummer Jeremiah Fraites, formed in New Jersey in 2005. It skyrocketed to fame in 2012, following the release of their first album, “The Lumineers,” which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Since then, the band has released four more albums and achieved over eight billion streams.
Chance Peña, an alternative folk artist from Texas, opened for The Lumineers. Peña, most known for his appearance on the ninth season of “The Voice,” played a 30-minute set of both upbeat, lively music and slower, emotional music.
Before finishing his set with “The Mountain Is You,” Peña reflected on his first time seeing The Lumineers and left the audience with some advice. He told the audience a story of the Lumineers concert he went to 12 years ago and how the band stopped playing a few seconds into the opening verse of “Ho Hey” after seeing everyone recording.
“Lead singer, Wes, said, ‘Can you put your phones down and be in the moment with us?’ I never thought of that, being in the moment, being present,” Peña said. “I think about that every day, being in the moment, and it’s hard, won’t ask you to put your phones away, but tonight, just be present. Just enjoy this moment.”
The crowd erupted as The Lumineers entered to the opening verses of “Same Old Song.” The lively, upbeat tune energized the crowd and served as a stark contrast to the next songs, “Flowers in Your Hair” and “Angela.”
After finishing “Angela,” Schultz took a moment to thank the audience and reflect, mentioning that this was their first ever sold-out show in Nashville. They reflected on the release of their fifth album “Automatic” and turning 20 years old as a band.
“Musical years are like dog years, and bands don’t last very long. Five to ten years is a lifetime. Over these past 20 years, we’ve learned one thing that has kept us going: we do our best work when we admit that we need each other, which is what the next song, ‘You’re All I Got,’ is all about,” Schultz said.
After a few more songs, Schultz took a moment to tell the crowd the story behind the next song, “Asshole.” He explained how many of his loved ones referred to him as an asshole, but instead of taking it to heart he has a different outlook, sharing a quote he recently heard.
“It goes something like this: you should be suspicious of those who present themselves as perfect because they are often the ones hiding the darkest secrets in their hearts,” Shultz said. “On the other side, you should welcome those who are rough around the edges and sloppy and say inappropriate things because those might be the people who tell you the truth when you need it most. So, Nashville, my toast tonight is to all the assholes out there.”
After performing “Asshole,” The Lumineers welcomed back opener Chance Peña for “Charlie Boy.” The band entertained the crowd with a couple of songs from their newer albums, like “Keys on the Table” and “It Wasn’t Easy to Be Happy for You,” before diving into a fan favorite, “Ho Hey.”
The opening chords of “Ho Hey” were reminiscent of the early 2010s. Schultz even told the crowd to take over a verse and shared a humorous anecdote about the song, noting that many couples have their first dance to one of their tracks — most often “Ho Hey.”
“I never share this with them, but I will tell you that that song was actually about a breakup. Strange choice for a wedding song, but we’ll take it. We’re honored to be a part of people’s lives,” Schultz said.
Schultz then played “Brightside” and surprised the audience by climbing through the stands of the crowd. As he started high-fiving fans in the back, he thanked the audience for once again being part of the first sold-out Lumineers Nashville show.
Before playing “Ativan,” Schultz took a moment to share the song’s background, acknowledging how brutal substance abuse can be.
“I thought it would be really interesting to write a love song from the perspective of a drug. Imagine this drug trying to seduce you to take it, trying to convince you to be its friend,” Schultz said.
The Lumineers also touched on themes of substance abuse before playing “Leader of the Landslide,” stating that the songs on the third album were some of the most personal records that dealt with addiction and alcoholism.
“It’s something we don’t really talk about amongst ourselves,” Schultz said. “Even though every label wants to support everything you take on, they were kind of sad at how sad the record was. [But] I’m so glad we made this record; it was really heartfelt for us and something we wanted to put out there. And somehow, you guys responded to it and it resonated.”
After “Leader of the Landslide,” Schultz took an emotional moment to introduce his next song, a cover of “Ghost” by Justin Bieber. He told the audience that over the summer, he went to the Newport Folk Festival, where he heard the cover of “Ghost” by an artist named Josiah. Schultz shared with the audience that he had been grieving his brother, who had suddenly passed away from a heart attack four months ago. The band was overseas touring at the time but decided to keep performing, knowing it’s what he would have wanted.
“At the time, I started crying because I was thinking about my dad. Since my brother’s passing, I remembered that song, and I would put it on just to feel something because we are so used to tuning our emotions out and just numbing ourselves,” Schultz said.
Schultz then invited Josiah up to perform the cover with him and dedicated it to his little brother Sammy, his two kids, his wife and anyone in the crowd who had lost someone.
Before finishing off the night with “Stubborn Love,” a classic from the debut album, Schultz gave a heartfelt speech thanking the fans for all of their support over the last 20 years.
Throughout the night, The Lumineers integrated powerful stories with impeccably crafted music, showing me what’s made them such a standout in today’s music scene. Schultz’s authenticity was truly inspiring, and I can’t wait to listen to the songs again now knowing the story behind them.
