Band of Horses brings candles & unbridled energy to St. Louis

Band of Horses recently made their way to The Factory in St. Louis to bless fans with a delightful double feature. The band played two sets, carrying the entire show on their back.

When you’ve been pumping out Millennial anthems for over two decades, you don’t need an opener.

The band started off the show with a mellow acoustic set. Lamps and candles covered the stage as the band took their places and dove into their extensive catalog of heartfelt sing-a-longs. The dramatic lighting and deep sounds provided by the full band, combined with lead singer Ben Bridwell’s iconic voice, all added up to a moment that felt profoundly deep. The elderly Millennial crowd started out hushed, but as the band members upped the momentum, the venue was soon echoing with thousands of voices. Tears were shed during emotional and nostalgic songs like “No One’s Gonna Love You” and “Laredo”, bringing the audience back to the early 2000s.

After a brief intermission, the band returned for the electronic part of the set.

The artists onstage were much more lively during this portion of the evening, cracking jokes and jamming out. The candles were cleared from the stage to make room for more movement for the musicians to show a more energetic side. You could tell the band was coming alive at this point, both by how hard they were going on their songs, as well as the way they were poking fun at each other. Several moments during this part of the show had me cracking up in the photo pit, to be honest. The crowd –who had been seated during the first part of the show — now took to their feet, dancing and singing along as Band of Horses continued through their catalog of songs.

Fun was had by all as the show made its way towards its conclusion. You could tell the crowd was disappointed when the set came to and end, finishing out with the band’s most iconic track, “The Funeral”. As the lights went out and the band left the stage, you could feel a longing for more amongst the concert-goers. But alas, all good things must come to an end and a Band of Horses concert is no different. All in all, the show was everything you could hope for; fans will just have to catch them again the next time they come around (or travel to another city on their tour in the meantime)!

Photography by Sean Rider

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