Photos by Eric Weiner
Last Sunday at Music Hall of Williamsburg, an air of romance seemed to work its way around the venue — nothing cheesy or nauseating, but something that ran a bit deeper. Backed by a rustic, mountain-laden banner and fronted with a bollo tie, Lord Huron brought out a sense of nostalgia for a more romantic age. Perhaps the sort of time and place they sing about has never existed, but for the hour they perform, there’s a shift that makes impossible stories seem possible.
This storytelling element is best shown through the amazingly timeless lyrics sung by Ben Schneider, all of them unforgettably and beautifully setting the scene: “Die if I must, let my bones turn to dust. I’m the Lord of the lake and I don’t want to leave. All who sail off the coast ever more, will remember the tale of the ghost on the shore” — “I can’t trust anyone or anything these days if you are who you say you are then show your face. You came out of the ocean like you came out of a dream. Your voice, it sounds familiar but you are not what you seem.” While these two may represent my personal favorites, the entire collection of songs boasts similar lines to make listeners stop and consider.
Where production was concerned, this performance demonstrated a level of fine-tuning that can only take place over the course of a tour. While their previous show at Glasslands was great, the transitions, confidence and showmanship took on an entirely stronger role here. Not to mention, the set was beautifully mixed, and the guitar tones were a perfect compliment to the scene (granted I’m always a sucker for a Gibson, acoustic and electric). With minimal interactions and an endearingly serious demeanor, they kept the focus on the music and the story rather than themselves, a admirable quality becoming more and more difficult to find.
