“A lot of bands don’t make it past five years, so for us to be out here having the time of our lives after 20 years is pretty impressive,” The Lumineers’ frontman Wesley Schultz explains with a combination of pride and gratitude in his voice. The folk rock band recently performed at Buffalo’s very own Darien Lake Amphitheatre. The crowd, a sea of white flower skirts, flower crowns, and denim, buzzed with excitement in anticipation for the show. 

Right at 8:45, The Lumineers – a very punctual band – came onstage with large screens throughout the amphitheater displaying photos of record players, very on-brand for their newest album, Automatic. Beginning with their lead single “Same Old Song,” the crowd roared as they soaked in their first few minutes of the show they’ve looked forward to for so long. On the screens, they had a variety of videos and images throughout the show, featuring scenes such as a road, forest, or the album cover’s picture of a TV test screen.

Automatic is the band’s fifth album, and has received lots of love, even charting on Billboard. I think the atmosphere The Lumineers creates is why they have been so successful over the years. The band was founded by Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites, but they’ve accumulated other members over the years. The Lumineers both acknowledge and celebrate the large band they’ve become in their songs. They play instruments unique to other bands of their popularity, such as violas and a plethora of percussion instruments. During their hit song “Big Parade,” each band member sang a different verse in the song. Before each member performed, there was a small introduction giving us a background on their time with The Lumineers; they made sure to highlight that each member has a significant impact on the band and The Lumineers would not be the same without them. We were able to see each of their unique personalities shining through when they sang, some singing light-heartedly while others were more serious.

My three personal favorite songs from the night were “Ativan,” “Slow it Down,” and “Ophelia.” Before the band played “Ativan,” Schulz gave some background on the song. He explained that it is a love song, but he wrote it about drugs. He said that as he wrote, he imagined a drug singing the lyrics into a microphone. Lyrics such as “I’ll provide the medicine and the poison” took on a whole new meaning for me as I never thought too much about the song before then. Hearing this perspective brought the song to life for me and made it a favorite of the night.

Secondly, “Slow it Down” was a special performance due to the beauty of the song itself and how the crowd reacted. The sea of people quieted down as soon as the song began, and halfway through, everyone turned on their phones’ flashlights. With thousands of lights waving in the air, the 10pm darkened sky transformed into what felt like broad daylight. 

Lastly, “Opheilia,” a fan favorite, got the whole crowd on their feet moving, belting out the lyrics to their favorite song during quarantine. The song was right after “Automatic,” so people were taken out of their melancholy trance. As the lively venue sang along, The Lumineers threw tambourines and drumsticks into the audience, which excited fans.

Even though the Lumineers are playing countless tiresome shows on their tour, they performed with smiles and a fun stage presence. They created a strong sense of community within their band, embracing every member and even bringing out opener Chance Pena to perform a duet of “Charlie Boy.” If you have a chance to see a leg of their tour, definitely go for some “cathartic stomp and holler” music.