LORD HURON / ALLISON PONTHIER 9.14.21

Sep 19

Words and Photos By Adam Gerhold

Allison Ponthier opened up for Lord Huron at the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston last Tuesday the 14th, and I think she blew a lot of people away, myself included. Ponthier plays an indie-country hybrid like Phoebe Bridgers meets Kacey Musgraves. What’s not to like? She played tracks off her latest debut ep, Faking My Own Death, including my favorite track, “Harshest Critic.” Her performance was intimate feeling even in front of 5000+ fans in attendance. She has lots of aspects to her that seem familiar while maintaining originality and a captivating vulnerable presence.

Standing in the photo pit a few moments before Lord Huron took the stage, I could feel an electricity in the air. Something I haven’t felt in quite a while. And standing in the pit between the stage and the crowd, I felt very grateful and humble to be there. I took a long breath of the electric air around us as Lord Huron took the stage and the crowd erupted.

The performance was incredible. The stage was fashioned with rolling hills, cacti, and a setting sun backdrop, and the lighting was top notch. The size of the stage is pretty big and the members of the band were spread of quite a bit, but their stage presence and interactions made everything still feel tight, like we were involved.

Their was little stage banter and songs flowed very smoothly into each other, which for a band that maneuvered through songs like, “Meet Me In The Woods,” and, “Ancient Names pt.II” that had the crowd dancing and bopping, to songs like the massive fan favorite, “The Night We Met,” and “Wait By The River,” that had everyone swaying solemnly and slowly, was very impressive and left nothing to be desired.