Friday night, September 26th, was truly a night to remember. As people started to flock into the Credit One Stadium and amass in the plaza outside of the stands, you could really start to feel the excitement buzzing in the air. Friends greeted each other who didn’t know each other were coming, pictures were being taken, and smiles were being shared.
Charleston, not typically known for its music, has been graced with the biggest names in music recently, from Megan Moroney to The Lumineers to Jason Aldean. Charleston is really starting to get back to its artistic roots, and the Lumineers were truly a sight to behold. Opening for them was Chance Peña, who was fun to see and did a great job of getting the crowd excited for the evening. He even said that the Lumineers were his inspiration to start making music after watching them in person at a concert in Texas.
The amazing part about the Lumineers is that they bring in a very diverse crowd. This allows you to meet a plethora of new people and be entertained even before the show starts. You’ll meet retired couples who started listening to their music when the Lumineers began 20 years ago, or young kids whose parents introduced them to the music, and they will look back on this memory fondly. The diversity of the crowd adds a level of excitement before the first chord is even played. For the Lumineers, it’s not just about the music; it’s about the people who come together to celebrate it, making every concert feel intimate despite the venue size.
Many familiar faces filled the stadium, both Academic Magnet students and faces from across Charleston, from Nolan Hammond, who attends Oceanside Collegiate Academy, to Charlie Bhat and Paul Simmons, seniors at Academic Magnet. I was able to personally talk to Nolan and Paul and pick their brains on their thoughts on the concert. Nolan and Paul both saw the Lumineers perform 3 years ago at Credit One and were blown away by the performance, so going into this one, they had high expectations. However, those expectations were more than met; they were crushed. From the opening song, Flowers in Your Hair, to the finale, Stubborn Love, they claimed the whole setlist was incredible, even when the Lumineers played some of their lesser-known songs. They both said their favorite songs of the evening were Dead Sea and Cleopatra, both some of the Lumineers’ older music.
A somber moment in the night was when the lead singer, Wesley Schultz, opened up about his personal life. Stating how he had been struggling the past couple of months because of the passing of his brother. In dedication to his brother, Wesley performed Ghost by Justin Bieber. The song was truly fitting for the situation, serving as a beautiful tribute to honor his brother.
If you haven’t checked out some of the Lumineers’ music yet, I highly suggest that you do. They have songs about almost every situation in life, and some of their lyrics are very hard-hitting if you truly listen to them.
