Sometimes, a band and a venue just go together like peanut butter and jelly. That was the case Saturday night when folk rockers Lord Huron descended upon the Greek Theatre, one of the most beautiful outdoor venues that their hometown can offer.
Now three studio albums deep into their careers, it was about time the now six-piece touring band got to headline the beautiful Los Feliz venue. Vide Noir is the cinematic new record the band dropped back in April, and boy did those new songs sound fantastic floating into the ether on a warm Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Ben Schneider’s voice and songwriting is certainly what helps separate Lord Huron from the rest of the bands in the indie folk space.
Schneider talked in interviews about writing Vide Noir with their live show in mind, and it’s true that they’ve captured the excitement of their live show on the new record than any previous studio output. That was evident as soon as they kicked off their set with the uptempo “Ancient Names (Part I)” as Schneider shouted “I gotta get away from here” with fervor.
They didn’t wait long to kick into their big hit “Ends of the Earth” from their 2012 debut Lonesome Dreams. I’ve seen them rock a number of festivals over the years and it’s always the song that gets the biggest response, and it was no different Saturday night. But magically, new album cuts like “Back From The Edge” and “Wait By the River” got similar responses. This is a band who has grown their sound but managed to keep ahold of the fanbase that’s been along for the ride since the beginning.
The band delivered a special cover in their 19-song set, waiting for the encore to play a fun take on Neil Young’s classic “Harvest Moon”. That cover was sandwiched by old favorites “The Night We Met” and “We Went Wild”, the band sending the crowd home happy.
You can catch Lord Huron at Treasure Island this October at their new location in Oakland! Surprisingly it’s the only American festival on their schedule at the moment.
Photos by Tim Aarons
