On July 3rd, The Lumineers began the North American leg of their Automatic World Tour. This was a sold-out show at SPAC which holds 25,000, however the crowd was even larger as many fans watched from outside the gates.
Joining The Lumineers at SPAC was Hippo Campus, an indie-rock band that started in Minnesota. Hippo Campus is fresh off their headlining tour for their most recent album Flood. They began the night with energy and left The Lumineers fans running to save Hippo Campus’ songs to their playlists.
The Lumineers released their fifth studio album Automatic earlier this year. The album was recorded in Utopia Studio and discusses the confusion of living in the modern world and trying to find the lines between what is real and fake.
SPAC was excitedly awaiting The Lumineers set wondering what would be played first and if they would play their older songs. As the lights began to go down the six band members took the stage. They opened with “Same Old Song” the first single from Automatic. Wesley gave a short speech about how this year marks 20 years of band leaders Jeremiah Fraites and Wesley Shultz creating music together. They dedicated the next song to their longtime fans stating, “I see a lot of you came with flowers in your hair” as they began strumming the familiar guitar chords. “Flowers in Your Hair” was their first single and has become a Lumineers tradition for fans.
The Lumineers became popular for their honest lyrics, as they sing these words in concert fans scream their favorites extra loud. Lines like “Love should make you feel good” (“Charlie Boy”) and “It’s better to feel pain than nothing at all” (“Stubborn Love”) left us in a sea of smiling fans knowing these are the words they choose to live by.
The Lumineers played a two-hour long set of their most popular songs. From sad songs and the audience raising their flashlights to happy love songs, SPAC was singing, dancing and even a few with tears in their eyes. One of their final songs was “Big Parade” a song from their first album. This song is about realizing your personal truth needs and wants. For SPAC the band gave us a different version of the song where each band member sang a verse. Wesley dedicated a cover of Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” to his little brother who recently passed. Wesley describes many memories of being a child in the car hearing his father and brother singing the song.
Wesley Shutz thanked SPAC for the night “Thank you for coming to our shows and making our dreams come true we never could have imagined 25,000 people would come out for us”. As we hear the familiar stums of the guitar and violin fans begin cheering knowing they will end on “Stubborn Love” not just any song but the song that for most is the reason they fell in love with the Lumineers. Being in SPAC during “Stubborn Love” made 25,000 people feel like we were a part of something bigger than ourselves. As Wesley sings, “It’s better to feel pain than nothing at all” many fans place their hands over their hearts with happy tears filling their eyes. It felt as though the whole crowd was not only singing back to the band but to the version of themselves that first came alive through these songs.
The Lumineers SPAC July 3, 2025
Setlist– Same Old Song, Flowers in Your Hair, Angela, You’re All I Got, AM Radio, Asshole, Gun Song, Plasticine, Donna, Ho Hey, Dead Sea, Brightside, Sleep On The Floor, Gloria, Charlie, Ativan, Where We Are, Slow It Down, Automatic, Ophelia, Big Parade, Leader of the Landslide, New York State of Mind (Billy Joel Cover), So Long, Cleopatra, Stubborn Love.
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