The Lumineers Played Central Park with Old Crow Medicine Show [photos]

Last Monday was the perfect summer evening for crowds to roll into Central Park for a night filled with foot-stopping folk music that ranged from a young, soft-folk California duo to a veteran Appalachian string band.

The Milk Carton Kids (@milkcartonkids), a contemporary folk duo from LA, opened the show with their minimalistic two guitars and soft, gorgeous melodies — the perfect opener to corral the milling crowds to their seats on the lawn in front of the stage. The night picked up as the Denver-based band, The Lumineers (@thelumineers), took the stage with a powerful energy that had the audience instantly on their feet. Bringing a bit of front porch folk to city, their set was filled with stomping, clapping, and harmonious shouts that left the crowd buzzing for the remainder of the evening.

The sun was starting to dim as the headliner, Old Crow Medicine Show (@crowmedicine), came on. In the wake of the energetic set by The Lumineers, OCMS began softly, focusing on instrumental solos and slowly building up the crowd. They went on to show off their true musical craft, though, bringing out guest musicians for improvisational jams, picking up the tempo and getting the crowd swaying as the night set in. “It’s so good to hear a harmonica in the city,” front-man Ketch Secor bellowed, referencing New York any chance he could get by regaling the history of Central Park, changing lyrics, and even making witty banter at a few front-row girls from Staten Island. By the time their famous melody of “Wagon Wheel” began to play, it felt like we had been transported from the bustle of New York City to a backyard barn-party in Tennessee.