I GOT TO go to Lord Huron’s concert on Oct. 21 at the UCCU Center in Orem, Utah. They performed their newest album, which came out in July — The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1. They’re known mainly for their song, “The Night We Met,” played on the Netflix series: 13 Reasons Why. With their indie rock music and travelers (the fans) by their side, this night was something to remember.
Being my first concert, I had expected more trouble going through security and finding seating. In the end, it was nothing more than a simple scan and wandering down rows to find open seats.
Before the show started, a guy next to us was flashing his phone’s flashlight to a group across the center. It wasn’t expected, but he seemed to be quite happy with himself. A little humor before the lights shut off at 9:05 p.m. and the anticipation began.
Joining Lord Huron was an artist named Kevin Morby. Morby’s opening performance started with “This Is a Photograph” from his This Is A Photograph studio album. It was a catchy song with soulful saxophone playing that fit his energetic vibe. Some audience members were seen dancing in place, cheering whenever the music became catchier and louder. He sang for around 40 minutes, chatting with the audience at his halfway point, before he said his goodbyes and walked off stage.
A few fill-in songs later, the first song of the tour started, “Who Laughs Last,” featuring Kristen Stewart. Everyone stood up and cheered in unison when the first note came out of the speakers. Slowly, the cheers grew quieter as the crowd was possessed when a quite theatrical recording played behind the group. It was like life or death, and the need to get away from a place you weren’t quite there with. The guitar and drums added to that rush and settled underneath my skin for the rest of the concert.
In the middle of the stage sat a telephone booth. It didn’t seem like much at first, but when the lead singer—Ben Schneider—picked it up for his part in the song, his voice came through distorted, like the Travelers were the receiver of his message, and his figure replaced the screen behind the band.
As the song came to an end, the stage darkened, and a rhythmic beat began. The audience clapped along as “Looking Back” played. During the second chorus, a man with a top hat entered the stage. His shadow reflected on the screen, following the song step by step as if it were from his perspective. It wasn’t just a concert at that point; it was a story, and if you stopped listening for a second, you’d miss it.
Songs from other albums were scattered throughout the concert. One’s that had received a good cheer were “Ends of the Earth,” “I Lied,” and “Meet Me in the Woods.”
During “I Lied,” Schneider wasn’t the only one singing. Allison Ponthier walked onto the stage and sang with him. Not only was he not alone, but the man with the top hat had a partner — a lady in a white dress — who looked like an angel under the yellow lights, and she danced with him. When the dancers moved closer to the crowd, everyone took out their phones and lit the room. It looked like the stars came down from the sky and joined us on our journey. It was beautiful, despite the song’s meaning. “Told you I could never love somebody else, but I lied.”
There were many songs I enjoyed singing along to that night, but there was a specific one I had been waiting for. Despite being popular because of a Netflix series, “The Night We Met” will always be my favorite. At the first hum of the song, the audience cheered so loud it made me lightheaded. When Schneider started to sing, the audience seemed much quieter, as if they were paying their respects to something, someone who was gone. At the final chorus, he stopped singing to let the Travelers end the song.
Four other songs were played at the end, but we couldn’t stay there any longer. Even so, why the fans were called the Travelers made more sense after that night. There will always be a story ahead of us, no matter whether it is good or bad.
