The Show
Americana superstars The Lumineers returned to their former neighborhood of Brooklyn for an unforgettable taping of Live From the Artists Den at the majestic Kings Theatre. The band performed an 18-song set for ticket winners and guests, split evenly between songs from their Grammy-nominated 2012 debut and its Number One-charting follow-up, Cleopatra (plus a riveting unreleased song, “Long Way From Home,” played solo by lead singer Wesley Schultz). The ornate, magnificent theater—built in 1929 and recently restored to its initial glory—provided a breathtaking setting for a night full of great moments, from an unamplified version of “Darlene” to a rousing rendition of the Lumineers’ breakthrough smash “Ho Hey.”
The band performed an 18-song set split evenly between songs from their Grammy-nominated 2012 debut and its Number One-charting follow-up, Cleopatra.
Behind the Den
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The Lumineers
The Lumineers, a folk-rock trio out of Denver, Colorado, deliver an acoustic-based Americana sound that touches a lot of stylistic bases, from folk to gospel to heartland rock and the narrative end of country, all with interesting rhythmic twists and turns,” says All Music of the band. They began booking shows in New York City, and relocated to Denver where they met instrumentalist Neyla Pekarek who joined the band. The Lumineers released their first self -titled album in 2012 with the release of their single “Ho Hey,” that went platinum and multi-platinum in more than a dozen countries worldwide, and spent 62 weeks on the Billboard 100 chart. They were nominated for two Grammys in 2013 for “Best New Artist” and “Best Americana Album.” The band’s album, Cleopatra, released in April 2016, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Most recently, their newest album III, is set to release September 2019.
The Venue
Upon its inception in 1929, the Loew’s Kings Theatre was one of the most exquisite theatres in the nation. As one of the five original “Loew’s Wonder Theatres,” the Kings was originally ordained a movie and live performance theatre of epic proportion. The classic 20th-century movie palace was inspired by the French Renaissance Revival style of the Palace of Versailles and the Paris Opera House. It opened its doors to the public September 7th, 1929 with the screening of Evangeline. However, with the depression and the decline of vaudeville in the early 1930s, the theatre converted to showing only feature films. From the 1950s through the mid-1970s, the Loew’s Kings Theatre faced a steady decline. It closed its doors on August 30th, 1977 and sat vacant for more than 37 years. Today, the $95 million project features an authentic restoration of the original 1929 design. The restoration of this former movie palace marks the rebirth of an historic venue, and a transformation into a state- of-the- art live performances theatre that will revitalize the Brooklyn arts scene, and provide economic stimulus to the Flatbush Avenue business district, and the region beyond. Photography courtesy of Joe Papeo for Artists Den Entertainment.
