As an avid concert goer, I’ve learned that one of the best ways to attend various concerts and not feel irrevocably guilty about it is to gift a pair of tickets to a friend and (hopefully) accompany them to the show. I found myself at Lukas Graham’s concert as a direct result of this process on Thursday, November 10. The concert just so happened to coincide with my good friend’s birthday, and together, we went off to experience what may have been my favourite concert to date.
Lukas Graham is a four-piece band from Copenhagen, Denmark. Their lead singer Lukas Forchammer is accompanied by drummer Mark “Lovestick” Falgren, bassist Magnus Larsson, and keyboardist Morten Ristorp. They were also joined on stage by a trio called The Rusty Trombones. Lukas grew up in a neighbourhood that suffered waves of poverty and crime, which is reflected in the vast majority of their songs, the genre of which could be classified as something between pop, funk, and soul. Admittedly, going into the concert, I was not familiar with most of the band’s work; however, the talent showcased on the singles “7 Years” and “Mama Said” off of their self-titled album piqued my interest more than enough to make me want to attend the show.
The band opened with a confident power-anthem, “Take the World by Storm.” Lead singer Lukas’ charisma and stage presence was impossible to ignore as he bounced between upbeat, romantic songs and soulful ballads. He revealed as the concert carried on that inspiration for their songs usually came from problems they’ve faced in life, such as the passing of his own father.
“There are two types of problems in this world: problems you can solve, and problems you can’t,” Lukas stated about halfway through the show. “Your father being dead is a problem you can’t solve. So I write about it.” And write about it he did; aside from mentions in most of the band’s work, Lukas Graham also gave him a beautiful tribute song titled, “You’re Not There.”
“Though I know that you’re not there / I still write you all these songs / It’s like you got the right to know what’s going on / As I struggle to remember how you used to look and sound / At times I still think I can spot you in the crowd,” Lukas proclaims on the track. In the song “Happy Home,” Lukas also exclaims: “I had the perfect dad, I wanna be the perfect son.”
Another event often referenced in the band’s work is the jailing of one of Lukas’ friends. “They tried to get you down / But you refused to die / They tried to give you angel wings / But you refused to fly / You’d rather stay in hell / And take your time in jail / They are only punishing the soul you will never sell,” Lukas belts in the minor-keyed “Better Than Yourself (Criminal Minds, pt. 2).”
A notable accomplishment of the band’s performance was the flow of their show — they balanced these important, slower-paced songs from the soul with cheeky and funky tunes, such as “Strip No More.”
“I was at table three, b.y.o.b. and / Destiny sat next to me / She asked me if I liked her dance / I told her ‘I’m your biggest fan’ / Then she took me by the hand, and turned this boy into a man / Inside a private room, I hope you understand,” Lukas boasted, tongue-in-cheek, during the interlude.
The vocal and instrumental quality exceeded expectations throughout the entire show, but I felt a particular level of excellence was exuded in the performance of “Funeral,” my favourite song of the night. “Welcome to my funeral / Everyone I know better be wasted / You know I would pour one up / Cause the way I lived, it was amazing,” he chants, unusually cheerful for a song revolving around death.
The band returned for an encore and ultimately finished the night off with the hit single “7 Years.” The show was the first of their 2016/17 tour and Lukas chimed gleefully and gratefully, “I don’t think you can hope or pray for a better first show. Thank you so much Vancouver!”
It was obvious the Vancouver crowd felt similarly; the intimate setting of The Vogue helped to connect further with the band, and the atmosphere was one of adulation for their sheer talent and performance value. I would not hesitate to agree with the statement that the concert was worth far more than the $35 general admission ticket in, and it is shows like these that remind us that intellectual and meaningful art doesn’t necessarily have to come with a hefty price.
