I love Lord Huron! KJ introduced me to them on a crisp Berkeley evening in January 2017 at the UC Theater and I was hooked. It was definitely a combo of the actual music and the fact that they are foiyne. Ben Schneider looks like a haunted sexy cowboy lounge singer and it agrees with me.

Anywho, after that, I tried to go to every Lord Huron show in the Bay Area. There was The Fox Theater in Oakland in June 2018 and their Bottle Rock performance in May of 2019. I must note that I was 7 months pregnant and I had a broken ankle. It was raining and I was sporting a purple poncho so I looked like Violet Beauregarde. I did not make it to the August 2019 show at The Greek Theater in Berkeley because I’d just had The Toddler 6 weeks before the concert which was technically 4 weeks before The Toddler was due so I was not in a concert-going mood. Also, I did not go to their Fall 2021 stop in San Francisco at Outside Lands, but KJ went. So I guess I’m not like their biggest fan but like I said, I love Lord Huron.

Side note: It is zero fun going to a music festival when you can’t drink or smoke weed. Not like absolutely zero fun but you know what I mean.

I still choose fashion over function and I’m 38

According to Steve Paulson from Mornings on 2, Tuesday May 24th , 2022 was one of the hottest days in the Bay Area in a very long time. It was 87 degrees in Berkeley in May and it is not normally 87 degrees in Berkeley in May. It was 95 degrees in Hercules which was annoying but not totally surprising.

Wednesday May 25th started out nice and warm but then Karl the Fog rolled into town and in got burrrr real quick…in Berkeley. It was still mid 80’s in Hercules. I picked out a long sleeved top that was not too hot and not too cold. I paired it with the rest of my uniform consisting of tight ass skinny jeans and Saucony’s. Yes, I am just a Basic B. Most of my jeans are from Old Navy. I made the decision to not bring a jacket or an outer layer because I didn’t have anything that I felt was cute enough for the occasion and I also forgot about microclimates in the Bay Area.

TL;DR…I froze waiting for BART in El Cerrito but KJ saved me with an extra jacket when we hooked up in Berkeley.

Anywho, we ate at Eureka!, shared the brussels sprouts and we got the same burger. Just trying to make the bartenders life easier. I had my big Golden State Cider and finished KJ’s Pilsner.

Now, let’s get to the show!

Lord Huron, The Greek Theater May 25th, 2022

There are 2.5 venues in the Bay Area that I will see concerts at. The Fox Theater in Oakland (1), The SAP Center in San Jose (.5) and The Greek Theater in Berkeley (2). The Fox and The Greek because they are small and beautiful and the SAP Center because I saw Dua Lipa there and it was fun.

“The Greek” is an amphitheater (I did not know that word had two “h’s”) on the East side of UC Berkeley campus. The only reason I have ever walked through that campus was to go to “The Greek.” This is a hot take but I don’t think there is a bad seat in the house. The seats are cement so they’re uncomfortable but you’ll still be able to see the show from any seat. The cool kids bring blankets and cuddle on the grass behind the seats and the even cooler kids stand on the floor right in front of the stage. KJ and I were on the second mezzanine, middle left.

The stage set-up was simple but fit the groups aesthetic and sound. A few cactai and mini mountain ranges with fun neon lights dancing throughout the show. I really need to work on my descriptions. There was also a fog machine that wasn’t necessary because of Karl. I did not get a good pic of the stage because I care too much about what people think and didn’t want anyone to make fun of me.

Here Comes Lord Huron!

They came out at 9:00 pm. I will note, I am usually taking my bedtime nap on the couch this time of the evening while Belgian Husband watches The Blacklist.

The bass player, the keyboard player (some new chick), the guitar player, the other guitar player sauntered out to their respective positions then…Ben (we are on a first name basis) came out. Wearing slacks, button up shirt, western jacket, cowboy hat and hair pulled into a little man bun, he and the rest of the gang went right into two songs off Long Lost that I didn’t know.

Another hot take, Long Lost is not my fave. I love Not Dead Yet but the rest of the album is too slow for me. Happily would have traded any other song on any other album for the handful of songs they played off Long Lost. I am a Strange Trails gal myself. But don’t be offended if you love Long Lost, I listen to the ‘NSYNC Christmas Album every year so my taste in music is sometimes questioned.

During “Dead Man’s Hand,” Ben took his hair down and I turned to KJ and screamed “I want to throw my bra up there!” I wasn’t serious but KJ was worried I’d get too cold. Didn’t really need to worry about that because I stopped caring about what people thought and started dancing when he went into “Hurricane (Johnnie’s Theme) and warmed right up:

     Oh little darlin' don't you look charming
     Here in the eye of a hurricane.
     Real or imagined - what does it matter?
     Come inside, can I get you to stay?

Yes, you can get me to stay!

They played for about 90 minutes mixing up two dozen songs from all their albums. Pleasing the Vide Noir swooners and the dudes wearing cowboy hats and cowboy boots in Berkeley who were clearly there for Long Lost. During “Wait by The River,” Ben walked up to the keyboard player and got down on one knee during that specific line in the song and I turned to KJ and screamed “I will die if he proposes to her.” KJ looked at me with concern this time because it seemed as though I had forgotten I was married with a child. Out here in Berkeley on a work night all willy-nilly swooning over some rock star.

There was a small break before returning for “Worldender” wearing a sexy skull mask. Belgian Husband has skulls and skeletons tattooed all over his body so I was basically swooning over over my husband.

After “Worldender” it was more slow stuff from Long Lost. The gal who does the vocals on “I Lied” has a gorgeous voice though.

I’m humming like a revved up truck…

I might have lost my shit when “Fool for Love” came on. I was dancing throughout most of the concert while trying to remain aware of the people around us, didn’t want to have too much fun and accidentally bump into someone. Fuck that. My legs and arms were moving independent from my body. Normally I don’t know what to do with my hands when I’m dancing. I just kind of rub my hands on my arms or play with my hair. But tonight, with this particular song, Karl and Ben and my White Claw, I knew how to dance with my entire body and I didn’t care who got in the way.

The main set ended with “Not Dead Yet” with an encore of “Ends of the Earth,” and a couple more Lonesome Dreams. As per usual, we ditched out on the encore for the merch table.

Sorry I didn’t get a ton of pictures this time. I have an iPhone 13 and apparently you’re supposed to be able to film movies on it but most of my pics turn out blurry and weird. Anyone else have that issue? I did get over myself towards the end of the show and got a little clip of Ben and the guys and gal rocking out. For some reason I was afraid that if I didn’t get a ton of pics or videos then I wasn’t even there or something like that. I’m a weirdo.

Thanks for letting me go on and on about my experience at the Lord Huron concert. Do you love Lord Huron too? Let me know. Even if you do love Long Lost, LOL!

It seems like they put out an album every three years so look for another concert review/experience in 2025! Gross, I’ll be 42.