Extra Extra Concert with Lukas Graham

I have been listening to Lukas Graham's music for almost seven years and now I've had the pleasure of seeing him live. It all started with a CD brought by my mother in 2012 that we would often hear on repeat when we were driving out to see my horse. Since then, every album has gotten better and better and it has been wonderful to follow an artist and see how he has grown. 

Frankly, it was even more bizarre and wonderful to see him standing in a stage in front of 15,000 people as a 30 year old father as I've been watching the old Krummerne films around Christmas time and watched him when he was just a couple of years old. His journey has been quite incredible and through his beautiful and emotional writing we have been granted glimpses into his life.

The first album captured the dreams and his love for the Danish culture, in terms of beers and girls, and a general drengerøv existence. The second album was heavily influenced by his father's death and his obligations to his family while also capturing his adventures and success in America. The third album followed the birth of his daughter and it's filled with love for her and her mother as well as general concern for society. In the concert, he played songs from all of his career and it was wonderful to see. 

After the opening act, an American band Ocean Park Standoff, Lukas and his band were revealed with the drop of a curtain and the crowd just exploded. After a couple of songs had finished and they took their first breather, Lukas confessed that this concert was the most nervous he had been on a stage since Grønkoncert in 2013. He had his mother in the crowd and he mentioned that this was really the night that they would try to impress because of it. The concert I attended was the extra extra concert, as he managed to sell out two concert dates so fast and the third got sold-out as well. He was clearly awed over returning home to his home country and be welcomed by so many people. Lukas literally said that it was his childhood dream (or rather he said drengedrøm, and I have to admit that it was quite cool to see such a huge artist talk his native language even if it isn't his creative one). 

My two friends and I had gotten "front row" seats, in the sense that we were on the front of seated spots. It worked out very well for us and we had a great visibility in the massive venue while being able to sit down and sway back and forth while enjoying the music. The sound was incredible and Lukas' live vocals did not disappoint, if possible he sounded even better.

I had been very exited to see what songs we would be graced with and I was happy to see so many favourites of mine in the mix. To be honest, he almost couldn't pick favourites of mine since his albums are full of absolute bangers. The only one I was missing a little was Everything That Isn't Me. But the setlist was incredible:

Not a Damn Thing Changed

Take the World by Storm

Strip No More

Mama Said

You’re Not There

Stick Around

Lullaby

Love Someone

Promise

Drunk in the morning

Don’t You Worry 'Bout Me

Off to See the World

You’re Not the Only One (Redemption Song)

Say Yes (Church Ballad)

Happy Home

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7 Years

Funeral

Like he described, he had a song about his mother, one about his father, two to the child and one for his girlfriend. It was really a compilation of songs that heavily showcased the importance of family for him. We had beautiful displays of lit phone flashlights being held up during the more heartfelt songs and it was like the stadium swayed perfectly in sync. The strobe lights and the prerecorded videos and the filming that happened during the concert also worked really well.

When we called the band back for the encore, we all stood up and clapped and stamped our feet in the ground. Even when Lukas came back out, he could hardly get a word in at first and he had to just take a moment to take in the applause and the praise. He literally got down on his knees and laid forward almost as in prayer. He had been touched and brought close to tears multiple times. The energy in the air was electric and it felt like we were a little intimate club despite the sheer overwhelming number of people if you actually looked around.

It was clear to see how much Lukas valued his band mates, even if only two of his original boys (the drummer and the bassist) still remain in the band. He had acquired some American band mates for the tour and they were also backed up by a choir from Stockholm which all sung beautifully. It was such a good experience to see them live and I'm so happy that my friends on a whim decided to book tickets when the third concert was revealed.

Lukas has come quite far from the chubby, partying boy who hardly had a care in the world when he first started to make music. Since then, he lost a parent, one of his best friends were imprisoned, he became a household name, he fell in love and had a child. He still wore a plain white undershirt during his performance, just like he used to back during his first gigs. Even if the shirt was removed about half-way through the performance. It was still there - a reminder of the boy he still is and I have no doubt that the choice have three circles in the middle of that stage just coincidentally resembled Christiania's logo.

I could probably go on and on about little wonderful details but I think this post captures a lot of the essence of the concert experience. I cannot believe I have never sought out seeing him live before, even if I can appreciate the symbolism of having listened to his music for seven years before I saw him play live. Next time, I might just have to bring my mother along with me because she's at least as big as fan of his music as I am. I am endlessly excited to follow Lukas Graham's musical journey in the future.