The Lumineers stopped by Ottawa on their much anticipated III: The World Tour. This tour was in support of their 3rd album aptly titled III and was set to bring the listener on a journey. Along for the ride on this stop is a unique set of openers with Mt.Joy and J.S Ondara.
Active since 2005, The Lumineers are a folk rock band hailing from Denver Colorado. Having sold out venues like Madison Square Gardens and Red Rocks Ampatheatre, they continue to work their way up the ladder of stardom.
J.S. Ondara
Starting out the night for The Lumineers is J.S Ondara.
Now this is a new one for me but it was interesting.
This Kenyan born artist set the stage with a simple yet elegant 3 piece orchestral arrangement.
Not what I was expecting but a soothing melodic set made for a good start to the night and I am sure a few fans were made.
Mt. Joy
Next in line opening for The Lumineers is Mt. Joy. This 5 piece indie rock band has ties with both LA and Philly.
Active on the scene since 2016 and with 2 albums under their belts. They continue to move up the ranks and garner fans anywhere they go.
They were very upbeat on stage and you could tell they have fun doing what they love.
The vibes were a great way to set the stage for the headliner act which is exactly what an opener should do.
The Lumineers
It’s time for your headliners. The Lumineers took to the stage to one of the longest cheers vie seen, even the band was a little surprised. One of the cooler looking stages I’ve seen in a while, they had a unique stage kit with a round catwalk that actually came out and surrounded what I would assume was the VIP section.
They started out the night with Sleep on the Floor quickly followed up by Life in the City and Flowers in Your Hair. Those people in VIP had a much more up close and personal show but that didn’t stop Wesley Schultz from jumping into the crowd and running around interacting with fans. They took the time to deliver some amazing tunes and did you know that Jeremiah Fraites the drummer can actually play every instrument on stage? Well now you do!
The opening acts joined them back on stage as they started closing out the night with an amazing rendition of Democracy by Leonard Cohen. The crowd wasn’t finished just yet as they cheered for an encore and they got what they asked for. The Lumineers finished out with another 4 songs for a killer cap off to the end of the night.
One of the cool things to note was the fact that The Lumineers were actually going to match donations from the night to help fight homelessness. This is always nice to see a band giving back when they can. What a great night.
