Lumineers rock campus

By Claire Johnson

[email protected]

Five vintage chandeliers hung above the stage, lighting up the floor for what would be the Student Activities Board’s most highly-attended show in the past decade.

More than 5,000 tickets were sold to both students and the community to see The Lumineers on Friday night, said Adam Carrico, SAB director of concerts.

Carrico introduced The Lumineers with two of the band members by his side.

“I admittedly was very nervous, but introducing them and looking out in the crowd seeing around five thousand people made me really happy,” Carrico said.

The Lumineer’s hit “Ho Hey” was played fairly early into the show, bringing everyone to their feet.

“They have a more natural sound,” media arts and studies junior Michael Kennett said. “It’s a lot folksier. That’s what I like about it.”

Carrico said SAB conducts surveys to gather data about students’ music preferences.

Jake Ewing, director of public relations for SAB, said SAB tries to be the best steward with students’ money and bring what they would really enjoy.

The general admission audience got to enjoy The Lumineers up close when they came directly into the crowd to play.

Biology senior Ariel Blythe Reske said she listened to their album several times to prepare for the concert.

“Their messages are all down to earth,” she said. “They rely on their personality. They are a very personal band.”

This reliance is what integrated strategic communication sophomore Jourdan Rahschulte said made UK such a great place to have the show.

“We seem like a fun school because we have such spirit, which makes it seem like we would be a fun campus to come play on,” Rahschulte said.

“It’s cool to be a part of something that isn’t just a concert, but a part of the UK experience,” Carrico said.

Ewing said SAB tries to find events that are enriching, entertaining and educational.

“We definitely saw that opportunity in The Lumineers,” he said.

Carrico said the board has been working non-stop for the past few months to put this concert together, but it was all worth it.

“It’s rewarding to see how big of an impact concerts like this and our events have on our students and community,” he said.

Kennett said booking The Lumineers to play on campus says a lot about SAB.

“It shows how important SAB is, how big they are and how much they’ve done to be able to get these big bands to come through,” Kennett said. “One of the biggest things I always look forward to is learning who they have performing for the year.”

The Lumineers interacted with the crowd when they played “Stubborn Love” toward the end of the show.

Lead singer Wesley Schultz directed the students to scream the chorus, whisper it and then sing it as loud as they could.

The Lumineers extended a thank you to the students who made it all happen before leaving the stage.

“I’d like to thank all the students who put this together,” Schultz said. “Thank you for having us.”