By: Paige Lloyd
As though they couldn’t resist the temptation, Mumford & Sons came back for another time at Lollapalooza, three years later from their first visit, moving up to a headliner slot the second day of the festivities on Saturday, Aug. 3. Nothing stopped the thousands of music fanatics from standing in the heat of Grant Park, Chicago waiting for hours in order to get a closer view of the show.
Lollapalooza faced its very own record-breaking attendance this year, with an estimated 300,000 people over the course of the three-day festival. As Mumford wasn’t scheduled to perform until 8 p.m., everyone played the waiting game, standing as still as possible so that no one would steal their spot. The crowd became overwhelming as it neared show time, with people pushing and shoving, it paid off and soon the crowd roared with screams as Marcus, Ben, Ted and Country made their way on stage. After a few introductions, the show was under way with Mumford’s hit “Babel” from their 2012 album of the same name.
Their setlist was a mix of songs from “Babel,” and their 2009 debut “Sigh No More,” such as “Awake My Soul,” “Little Lion Man” and “Thistle and Weeds.”
Many critics say that their music sounds too similar, making it boring to listen live and this may be because the instruments used in each song – mandolins, banjos and cellos, both make up part of Mumford’s distinctive sound.
Around the middle of their set, Mumford & Sons surprised the crowd with fireworks that ricocheted throughout the playing of “Lover of The Light.” The crowd’s energy rise at this point as the yelling got louder, the fist pumping was intensified, and eyes gleamed at the flashing lights from the stage, and the skyline of Chicago to the right of the park.
As the concert was winding down, Mumford announced that they had one last song for us, and that it would be “The Cave.” The excitement radiating from the audience as screams bellowed all throughout the park, and every single person in the crowd was ready to yell every word to the song. With the blinding lights, the fast strumming of Marcus Mumford, and the sound of the humongous crowd singing along, it was a moment filled with so much exhilaration.
As Marcus and the rest of the band wished the Lollapalooza crowd an enthusiastic Scottish goodbye, the audience cheered with praise and thanks to the beautiful sound the band produced throughout the entire two hour show, and overall, an amazing performance by Mumford & Sons.
