Marymoor Park in Redmond, WA kicked off its summer concert series by welcoming Lord Huron as part of their Long Lost North American Tour.
Crowds flocked to the outdoor concert venue on a mild and sunny Pacific Northwest evening, a rare occurrence for the end of May, with low rise beach chairs, blankets, and rain ponchos on the off chance that the 7 pm predicted rainfall would make an appearance as well as the band. This venue is slightly smaller than other Seattle area outdoor concert arenas which makes for a more intimate and beautiful place to relax on the grass and take in some fantastic live shows. Concert goers can choose from a variety of taco truck vendors as well as a selection of local beers and wines.
Fans cheered as Nashville-based folk singer, Erin Rae, took the stage with her bandmates as the opening act of the show. Erin performed a selection of delicate songs from her 2018 album, Putting on Airs, and smiled broadly when a fan shouted that they loved her pants. “Thanks, I made them out of an old quilt,” she says before strumming her guitar into the next honeyed tune. Fans danced in front of the stage to Rae’s graceful songs like “Bad Mind” and “Love Like Before” as the sun began to set behind the tall pine trees.
As a haze from the BBQ truck smoke against the sun’s setting rays brought a nostalgic summer evening glow throughout the park, the anticipation for Lord Huron’s arrival on the stage began to peak. Fans crowded to the front for the closest views and began to chant, “Huron, Huron, Huron.” A wave of ecstatic cheers arose as the band took the Southwestern-style stage setting and frontman, Ben Schneider waved his signature white cowboy hat to the crowd before hanging it on a neon cactus.The band opened with euphoric “Time’s Blur” which faded into “At Sea,” setting the tone for a dynamic show full of crowd-pleasers and almost every song from their 2021 album, Long Lost. Schneider’s stage presence is powerful and electric with signature hair flips and athletic guitar riffs. Sporting a Stetson-esque, southwestern brown suit, and at one point in the concert, a hauntingly realistic skeleton mask during the band’s “The World Ender” and “Ancient Names, Pt II” tunes.
Hundreds of cell phones came out of pockets and many sang along during fan-favorite “The Night We Met” which has been heard on TV shows such as The Affair and has over 1 billion plays on Spotify since its release in 2017. Schneider picked up his white hat and the band exited the stage following “Meet Me in the Woods” and ethereal background music played on in the background as fans chanted, “One more song, one more song.”
An unknown stagehand brings the hat back out, setting it on the stage prop cactus and the crowd erupts with screams and cheers as the band re-appears after a short break. “We’ll play a couple more if it suits ya,” says Ben as they jump into four powerful encore tunes.
Emotions flared during their song “Ends of the Earth” as fans sang along to powerful lyrics such as, “What good is livin’ a life you’ve been given if all you do is stand in one place?” Bandmate, Misty Boyce, emerged from her position behind the keys to sing along for “I Lied,” and the band closed out the evening with a final farewell of “Not Dead Yet” and a powerful quote from Schneider stating, “See you next time folks. Until then, may you live until you die.”
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ERIN RAE
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MARYMOOR PARK
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