Lord Huron and Shakey Graves Live at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles

“You sure they didn’t say the Bollywood Hole?” Ben Schneider of Lord Huron said jokingly, sharing that one of their crew members was in disbelief that a band of their stature was actually worthy of headlining at the Hollywood Bowl. “He’s not working with us anymore…” he continued as the crowd laughed.

The disbelief was understandable, considering the subdued nature of Lord Huron’s indie-folk sound. It did in fact prove difficult to capture the attention of the massive space of a venue such as the Hollywood Bowl requires. While the audience was mostly sitting still in their seats throughout the show, songs like “Secret of Life” and “The World Ender” had some of them standing up to dance.

But the true highlight of the night was in the very last song of the encore, when Phoebe Bridgers was brought on stage to join the band singing harmony for “The Night We Met.” Additionally, “Emerald Star,” an acoustic duet featuring just Schneider and touring member Misty Boyce was a short yet stunning choice for their setlist. An additional standout from their set was a song with beautiful melodies and complexities, “When The Night is Over.”

KCRW’s Anne Litt introduced Lorn Huron after Shakey Grave’s performance, disclosing that “Lord Huron are a band we’ve loved for so long at KCRW.” Their latest album Vide Noir is an ode to Los Angeles, which taps into the magic of the city as well as the “mysteries of life” for inspiration.

Their setup included segmented rows of panels featuring videos of scenes to accompany each song, from views of Los Angeles to fire and forests, taking the audience on a journey through nature while they opened with “Love Like Ghosts” and led into “Meet Me in the Woods.” Their signature emerald green logo was shining atop their setup, changing colors as the set went on. A disco ball hung above the band as well, blasting specs of light into the crowd later in their set.

Shakey Graves, the Austin-based Americana group opened just before Lord Huron. Singer Alejandro Rose-Garcia elicited a call and response from the audience during one of “The Perfect Parts,” singing progressively louder as he brandished the mic toward the audience, who participated gladly. Drag singer Trixie Mattel joined as a guest on stage for the country song “Dearly Departed.”

Litt shared that of all her interviews, her features with Shakey Graves and opening act Yola at SXSW were her favorites to conduct. While Lord Huron’s frontman didn’t share all that much with the crowd, Shakey Graves’ was full of stories including a memory of his first L.A. apartment that came with a set of unique but loud neighbors.

Lord Huron continue their tour through October, and will be performing at festivals including Burnaby Blues, Music Midtown, and Life is Beautiful, in addition to performing at comparable amphitheaters across the U.S.

Lord Huron Setlist:

1. Love Like Ghosts
2. Meet Me in the Woods
3. Ancient Names Pt. 1
4. Dead Man’s Hand
5. Time to Run
6. Hurricane
7. The World Ender
8. She Lit a Fire
9. Wait By the River
10. Birds
11. The Secret of Life
12. Emerald Star
13. When The Night is Over
14. La Bele Fleur Savauge
15. Fool For Love
16. Ancient Names Pt. 2

Encore:

1. Ends of the Earth
2. The Night We Met

Photo Credit: Kalyn Oyer