After five years of touring around the world, The Lumineers perform at Wells Fargo Arena
Words and Photos by Zoe Ekonomou
The Lumineers pride themselves on sticking to their intimate roots. Their careers began at open mic nights and in friends’ living rooms with crowds of less than twenty.
The last time The Lumineers played a concert in Iowa was in April 2012. They played at the Maintenance Shop in Ames, a venue with a capacity less than 200. Their first album was self-titled and had been released just a week before.
A YouTube video of that concert shows an intimate crowd of maybe 100 people and a tiny stage lifted two feet off the ground. Jeremiah Fraites, sticking out in his white T-shirt and black suspenders, split the crowd down the middle. “This side over here will be ‘Ho,’ this side is going to be ‘Hey,’ alright? Let’s start with ‘Ho.’”
Wesley Schultz, lead vocalist, began playing his guitar and Fraites jumped back on stage to start the song. It was just beginning. Just two months later, “Ho Hey” would be their first single on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and blasting on almost every radio station in the country.
Friday, March 24th The Lumineers played at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, a venue that holds roughly 16,000. Other than the size of both the venue and the crowd, not much has changed five years later.
Their stage presence parallels their performances in the past. Fraites was again on stage in his white T-shirt and black suspenders. Halfway through the concert, a small stage lifted from the center of the venue’s floor. The whole band went into the middle of the crowd to play three or four songs. Later, Schultz came off the stage to walk through the aisles and high-five fans as he sang.
After their last song, Schultz saluted the crowd and promised it wouldn’t be another five years before they came back. He then turned to the whole band, and they came together and embraced.
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- Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites on the tiny, risen stage.
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- Stelth Ulvang on the mandolin – the band members work their way around the tiny stage playing to fans on all sides.
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- Wesley Schultz, lead vocalist, begins the show with ‘Submarines.’
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- The band embraces as the show ends.
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- Jeremiah Fraites pauses between songs and takes in the fans.
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- The band members make their way onto the tiny stage risen in the arena’s center.
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- Jeremiah Fraites bangs his tambourine in sync with ‘Ho Hey.’
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- In his white T-shirt and black suspenders, Jeremiah Fraites stands out on the drums.
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- The confetti canons shower the fans and blanket the arena.
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- Wesley Schultz takes in the crowd that fills the Wells Fargo Arena.
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- Wesley Schultz takes solo stage for Gun Song, written about his late father.
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- The elegant Neyla Pekarek plays the cello as she sings background vocals.
