Concert Reviews
At MGM track Hall, Lord Huron transported the audience with surreal visuals and sweeping soundscapes.
On Sunday night, Boston’s MGM track Hall became something more than just a concert venue — it became a portal. With balmy summer air lingering outside and a packed house waiting in anticipation, Lord Huron transported the audience into a cinematic experience filled with surreal visuals, dance sequences, and sweeping soundscapes.
Soul veteran Lee Fields opened the evening with a masterclass in timeless charisma. Fields’ set was a slow burn of grit and groove — each foot-stamping track radiating warmth, spirit, and pure passion. Whether singing about love, “Ladies,” or heartbreak, he commanded the stage with a grace that only decades of performing can earn.
After a short intermission, a glowing jukebox appeared center stage, pulsing like a heartbeat. From the darkness, Lord Huron emerged – silhouetted figures stepping into a set reminiscent of an abandoned roadside motel in a post-apocalyptic Wild West.
They opened with “Who Laughs Last,” the eerie first track from “The Cosmic Selector, and it immediately set the tone for the show. The song (essentially a spoken word poem) is voiced by actress Kristen Stewart, and introduces the cinematic language and landscape of the show: “Ghost towns, painted deserts, hamburger stands, neon temples,” Stewart said in the recording.
Schneider sang into a retro payphone as a vocal mic, with a DSLR transmitting his face to the venue’s screens. The payphone and jukebox, alongside lush desert landscapes and glitchy starscapes projected onto the screen, made every song feel like a chapter in some cosmic folktale, with Schneider at the helm — equal parts narrator, guide, and ghost.
‘We’re very happy to be back in your fair city’
The band transitioned into crowd-pleasers “Looking Back” and “Bag of Bones” before Schneider took a moment to thank the crowd and share his excitement.
“We’re very happy to be back in your fair city,” he said. “You really do mean the world to us.”
The band launched into back-to-back hits (“Ends of the Earth,” “The Ghost on the Shore,” and “Wait by the River”) before the track stopped and the sound of a telephone rang out. A dancer dressed in a suit and fedora emerged on stage to answer the phone.
Throughout the evening, two interpretive dancers (the man in the suit and a woman dressed in a white flowy dress) moved through the show, chasing and dancing with one another – and their own “shadows” projected on the screen.
Head-bangers and melodic soundscapes
The setlist moved freely through the band’s career, with longtime fans treated to both deep cuts (“Secret of Life”) and newer tracks (“Used to Know”).
“Ancient Names (Part I)” and “Frozen Pines” roared with primal, head-banging energy; “I Lied” felt like a whispered confession under moonlight.
The show closed with one of the band’s most iconic numbers. When the first notes of “The Night We Met” drifted through the room, the audience immediately joined in — not out of obligation, but from shared memory. The crowd erupted in applause and cheers when the song ended and the band exited the stage, begging the artists to return – and that they did.
After a four song long encore, Lord Huron ended the night with “Digging Up The Past,” a song that felt both elegiac and cathartic.
Lord Huron’s show was immersive, cinematic, and interstellar; the visuals, energy, and pure talent from the band and dancers was unlike any other show I’ve been to. For those at MGM track Hall Sunday night, it wasn’t just about hearing the group’s track – it was about stepping into another world for a while.
Setlist for Lord Huron at MGM track Hall on Aug. 3, 2025:
- Who Laughs Last
- Looking Back
- Bag of Bones
- Ends of the Earth
- The Ghost on the Shore
- Wait by the River
- Secret of Life
- Used to Know
- Ancient Names (Part I)
- Long Lost
- Twenty Long Years
- series Me Go
- I Lied
- La Belle Fleur Sauvage
- Frozen Pines
- Meet Me in the Woods
- The Night We Met
Encore:
- The World Ender
- Nothing I need
- Not Dead Yet
- Digging Up the Past
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