February 16th had been marked on my calender for quite a while. It was always set up to be an amazing night; The Lumineers with support act Langhorne Slim & The Law – how could there be any doubt?
Well, I underestimated it completely. In all honesty, there was no support act at this show- either act could have been mistaken for the headliner on this particular night. Langhorne Slim & The Law may have been the opening act, but my god were they difficult to follow.
When Langhorne Slim & The Law stepped on stage, introduced by The Lumineers themselves, they just tore the roof off this legendary Irish venue. For a so-called “support” act to open a sold out show with such confidence and pure showmanship is incredible. I don’t believe Langhorne Slim could have been beaten on his performance. There was no easing the crowd into the show, no building up to The Lumineers; this was Langhorne Slim & The Law’s set, and they definitely took control and owned it.
Having reviewed their album, ‘The Way We Move’, a few weeks prior, I knew they were going to be extremely good; but I definitely didn’t expect what we were all lucky to witness. It’s very rare you see an opening act step into a crowd of people who, in theory, aren’t really here to see you, and sing whilst getting in pictures with newly gained fans.
The absolute power of the band’s sound, mixed with Langhorne’s unbelievably unique and distinctive voice, obviously had a lot to do with the utter brilliance that was taking place on stage (and in the pit for Langhorne himself!); but there’s so much to be said for Langhorne’s showmanship, completely natural stage presence, and absolute passion for what he does.
When the band left the stage to allow Langhorne perform the extremely emotional ‘Song For Sid’; it’s probable that the entire venue- from the pit, to the box, to the upper circle, had goosebumps for the entire 3 minutes and 49 seconds.
I could praise this band for an eternity on their performance and I don’t think I could do them the justice they deserve. If you enjoy live music, Langhorne Slim & The Law are a “must-have” on your gig list. So much so, that I personally thanked Langhorne after the show for bringing a spark back into support acts.
As Langhorne Slim & The Law left the stage, I, and I’m sure many others, were left wondering “how on earth are The Lumineers going to top that?!”. However, a lesson was learned- never doubt The Lumineers.
They came out in force, as they begun with ‘Charlie Boy’; one of the best songs on their album. They were greeted by a sold out venue and these guys got the warmest Irish welcome that they could have asked for. Moving from one track to another, with few words spoken in between, it was clear this American group meant business – they didn’t come across the pond to just mess around!
Replanting that old folk genre with a modern pop-rock tint is something that The Lumineers do exceptionally well on record, but live? They have the look, they have the perfect sound, and they sure have the ability the put on a show.
With the response that the much loved single ‘Ho Hey’ has received in Ireland in recent months, it wouldn’t have been right to just treat it like any other song’ and clearly the guys knew that. Wesley took a minute on stage to ask everyone to put cameras and other recording equipment away and just “share this moment with them”.
As they stepped off stage and into the crowd, the venue erupted in excitement. The guys came down to join the crowd for a sing-song. An intimate acoustic performance of a nationally adored track – what more could the fans have wanted?
The guys pulled it off and executed it with absolute perfection. A lovely moment, in a beautiful venue, accompanied by the sound of 1600 voices singing the lyrics back. It was a symbol of what this night was – a night for the music community.
As they moved through the set list, we were introduced to a brand new song which saw Neyla bring the addition of a beautifully sweet tone that I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of, given the reaction she got after belting out the very first note.
Apart from the expected talent, the fantastic songs and the flawless stage presence of The Lumineers, the aspect of the night that really shone the whole way through was the attitude of this top notch band. Their want and desire to be on that stage just radiated around the venue; from interacting with the crowd, to taking their hats off to the fans. This certainly wasn’t a “let’s get up there, sing, and leave” show for these guys.
There was so much in the performance, right down to the stage routine of certain members leaving for songs, a solo performance from Wesley, the timing of members re-entering the stage, and just their ability to fit together so well as a band. This was only the first night of their tour and what a way to begin.
As lead singer Wesley confirmed when asked how he felt the show went, “I thought it was great, it blew our minds! We did not expect that. It was Saturday night in Dublin!”.
Langhorne Slim & The Law and The Lumineers are two acts that have cemented themselves as one of the modern greats that graced The Olympia stage, and I’ve no doubt either act will have any problem filling this venue in the future.