As summer slowly creeps to a close in Columbus, Ohio, the incoming transition into cooler temperatures and colorful leaves seemed to be frozen in time as thousands of music fans crowded into The Lawn at CAS this past weekend.
Back for its third year, Wonderbus hosted an impressive line-up with Duran Duran, Lorde and The Lumineers as headlines for each day. Though these acts were some of the most highly anticipated, there were also many smaller-scale musicians who left a lasting mark on the crowd.
COIN was one of those acts, a Nashville-based alternative band that rose to fame with the lead single off their second album, "How Will You Know If You Never Try," “Talk Too Much” in 2017. From then on, the band has played at acclaimed music festivals such as Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo.
For their Saturday night set, the trio played an array of hits from all of their albums, with fan favorites “Chapstick,” “Hannah,” “Into My Arms” and “Let It All Out (10:05)” being heard by the masses as concert-goers screamed along to the lyrics. From a distance, you could see frontman Chase Lawrence sporting a New York Yankees baseball hat matched with a button-down and tie.
With vibrant red, blue and white lights, smoke and the banging of drums, COIN was by far one of the most noticeable highlights of the night, fans eagerly rushing the stage to get a closer look at the band.
Yet, COIN’s 20-song act didn’t leave much time for fans to run over to the adjacent stage to see alternative-pop icon Lorde perform, proving that the singer was what everyone who attended Wonderbus really came to see.
After standing in the middle of the general admission pit for four hours, I was pleased to see backstage workers assemble the stage visuals, a sundial inspired by Lorde’s most recent album, "Solar Power," and cinder-block stairs where she would shortly sit to look down at fans.
Finally, the lights dimmed and the singer appeared in a purple-sequined jumpsuit and Prada loafers, opening her set with “The Path,” as she sported her freshly bleached blonde hair and raspy vocals.
“Homemade Dynamite” and “Buzzcut Season” came next, with the singer making her way toward the crowd and encouraging everyone to dance, sing and simply rejoice in the last dog days of summer.
Transitioning into “California,” a song about wanting to run away from fame and popularity, Lorde was basked in a ray of yellow light as the sundial slowly moved in a circle, the singer not phased at all by the moving entities around her. Yet, this all changed when the first few notes of the fan-favorite “Ribs” began to blare from the speakers.
With fans hugging each other, screaming the lyrics and crying about the hardest days of their middle and high school years, it was by far the most sentimental moment in the show, a symbolization of Lorde’s cultural impact on pop music and her Gen-X fan base.
Another shock to the crowd was “The Louvre,” another classic from her highly successful sophomore album “Melodrama" and was accompanied by blue lights and echoing vocals from the singer as she smiled back at the crowd.
Moving at a fast pace, Lorde didn’t skip a beat with “Secrets From a Girl (Who’s Seen It All)” and “Mood Ring,” following the two "Solar Power“ tracks with a cover of Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer.” While these songs were all performed flawlessly, the energy was somewhat brought down with the cover, unknown to many in the crowd.
Luckily, the singer made up for this with the gut-wrenching “Liability,” with fans once again being brought to tears as Lorde admitted this song still resonates with her, saying she even feels lonely and unlovable at times by everyone around her.
As fans wiped their tears away, the singer’s debut single, “Royals,” came next. It was another nostalgic moment in the show to hear a song that is almost 10 years old, and one that we’ve all grown up with.
Toward the end of her set came its peak with “Supercut” and “Perfect Places,” two songs that were high energy, causing fans to almost mosh against each other as Lorde sang of lost love and misinformation. Personally, it was my favorite part of the entire show.
The last major peak, “Green Light,” was one that most fans will continue to relish in, remembering green lights scanning over the crowd and Lorde bouncing up and down with fans, even coming up to the barricade to serenade them.
Sadly, the show came to an abrupt end with “Solar Power,” a song that all Lorde fans know the singer holds close to her heart. A much more mellow outro following a loud, exuberant setlist, Lorde whimsically danced around as yellow confetti shot into the air, allowing fans to relax and take in the magic around them.
Although Lorde’s set was shorter than expected, it didn’t seem to bother fans as they tiredly walked out of the venue, clutching onto yellow confetti and their friends, family and loved ones around them, creating a tender and emotional atmosphere that was initiated by one of alternative pop music’s greatest performers.
