By Sealy McMurrey and Alexa Cole
Image: Supplied
American folk rock sensation The Lumineers have returned to South Africa for the third time and are thrilled to hit the stage here again.
The band consists of lead vocalist and guitar player Wesley Schultz‚ drummer Jeremiah Fraites‚ and Neyla Pekarek on cello.
At a media conference on Wednesday‚ Fraites said: “I think the idea of playing in Europe was a 10-year goal‚ but the idea of playing in Africa was never a goal because we hadn’t thought it would even be possible.”
He said that it was an honour to have the opportunity to play in South Africa and that being able to get more than 10‚000 people to attend their shows is a dream come true. “I never thought as an American I’d be able to come over here‚ and we jumped at the chance to come back‚” he said.
As a special message to South Africa‚ Schultz said: “We’re a long way from home and to have all these people come out is great. And we have a lot more music this time around… two times more.”
They started at open-mic nights around Denver‚ Colorado‚ playing folk rock with strong American vibes. Today the Lumineers is one of the United States’ most prized musical possessions. Even former President Barack Obama proclaimed himself a fan after the release of their widely popular first album. They were nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2013 and performed the awards show. After gaining fame from the track Ho Hey‚ the group took a four year hiatus to tour.
In April last year they released their second album – Cleopatra – which narrates every day struggles such as loss and hope. The Cleopatra World Tour will run until August‚ when the band will end up in their home-city of Denver for an extra night‚ due to high demand.
They had two sold out shows in Kirstenbosch Gardens two years ago and according to News24‚ the band raved about how much they loved it. One of the touring members‚ Stelth Ulvang‚ told News24 at a press conference two years ago: “We love South Africa so far‚ everyone is so friendly and Europe can take a backseat!”
The Lumineers will be playing in Green Point park on Wednesday and in Johannesburg on Friday at the Ticketpro Dome. — TMG Digital/TimesLIVE
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