Photos | The Lumineers + Y La Bamba - Crystal Ballroom (PDX)

Photos by Colin McLaughlin

[M]ost bands give you a waiting period before they blow up. Time to fall in love before you start to feel like you’ve been slighted by the mainstream for stealing “your band.” Time to walk around with their words in your headphones before you hear those same songs pouring out of a Starbucks as you walk on by. Sorry, Lumineers fans. “Ho Hey” was just that good, so that time was lost to you. Now everyone has a hold of them.

Don’t worry though. The Lumineers haven’t let any of this newfound fame and adoration go to their head. They are playing like a cross between “We still have to earn this,” and “Goddamn, this is fun!” That means they are out there playing with more energy than their records and taking on opportunities to bring their songs out into the crowd for some good ol’ fashioned gang vocals. And those songs sound pretty powerful with over 1,000 people helping out. Maybe this rush towards folk is exactly what we all needed. Long ago Nirvana was the refresher that brought us back to the center lane after hair metal. Now, folk is looking like a not-so-revolutionary, but very welcome answer to the vapidness of the American radio playlist.

The Lumineers do a good job of carrying that torch, and they know the ways to make the people feel closer to their neighbor. And sometimes they are just plain exciting and the makers of moments. And that makes it fun to go see them, and hear them outside of waiting in line for a nice cup of joe.

Have a look at some pictures from The Lumineers and opener, Y La Bamba‘s sets at the Crystal Ballroom down below.