Review: The Swell Season

Markéta Irglová, the younger and lovelier half of the Swell Season, sings to a sold-out crowd at the Uptown Theater on Monday. Photos by Keith Myers/The Star

This concert was originally booked at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, a venue that holds about 900 people (if everyone stands upright and sucks in their guts).

It was soon moved east and across the border, to the much larger Uptown Theater. Wise move. Monday night the place was packed with about 2,200 fans of (a) folk music (b) the film "Once" (c) the Frames or (d) all the above. They came to watch and listen to Glen Hansard (of the Frames) and Markéta Irglová, the stars of the film and the soundtrack, which includes the Academy Award-winning song, "Falling Slowly."

Another raconteur visits the Uptown: Glen Hansard is a grand singer/songwriter but he can spin a good tale, too.

"Once" is a love story, but it's also about singing and songwriting; and anyone who has ever been devoted to either deserves to absorb, for just a minute, what rained all over Hansard and Irglová Monday night: the rapt attention and lavish appreciation of a huge, adoring crowd.

Hansard is a fearless showman, a garrulous Irishman whose charm and quick wit are embellished by his thick brogue. But even he stopped to humbly marvel at the size of his audience and the heft of its response: "This is the best night of the tour," he said, at least once. If it weren't the very best, it's hard to imagine how another could have been much better.

Not long after a fiery opening set by another young Irish singer/songwriter, Damien Dempsey, Hansard took the stage with a battered acoustic guitar. As if cued, the crowd hushed itself. Away from the microphone and into the silence, Hansard sang, "Say It To Me Now," a ballad from the "Once" soundtrack. And so it went. The crowd was loud when it needed to be, silent when it should have been and receptive to every story and wisecrack. And Hansard had plenty of both.

After his first song, he was joined on stage his band and by Irglová, 20, a shy young lady with an angelic voice and a brogue all her own, one born in the Czech Republic and flavored in Dublin. For the next two hours they would sing together and separately, performing about half of the "Once" soundtrack, several Frames songs and a cover of "Cactus," a Pixies tune. This crowd was in the mood for it all. It sang along, with gusto, to several songs, especially "Falling Slowly." During that one and again during "If You Want Me," couples on the floor fell into the mood, singing along and holding hands or swaying together, arm in arm.

Other highlights: "Once"; "What Happens When the Heart Just Stops"; "Star Star"; "Cactus"; a gorgeous new tune by Irglová; and the fiddle solo by Colm Mac Con Iomaire (also of the Frames), who played lead over a loop of his own rhythms.

Hansard introduced several songs with a story, once or twice a very long story. Each time his audience indulged him, even when he went on (a bit facetiously) about feeling sad after winning the Oscar: Everything I'd done before that ceased to matter, he said. Not really. A few of his Frames songs got warm responses, too.

He stepped into the "Missouri/Kansas" pile a few times (someone should have told him it's like confusing Dublin and Belfast), but even then the crowd was relatively diplomatic about correcting him. He also apparently confused Brush Creek with a river he thought he wanted to swim in, but that's another story.

The real story this evening was the reception these two earned from a crowd so large it raised the temperature on the floor by about 15 degrees. You just don't see music this artful, quaint and personal get the kind of reaction it got Monday evening. To paraphrase Irglová's now-famous Oscar speech: A night like this proves that even far-out dreams are possible.

| Timothy Finn, The Star 

Setlist: Say It To Me Now; All the Way Down; Lies; This Low; Drown Out; When Your Mind's Made Up; (new song, Marketa Irglová); Falling Slowly; Leave; What Happens When the Heart Just Stops; Bad Bone; Cactus; Your Face; Once; If You Want Me; Blue Shoes (fiddle instrumental); Fitzcarraldo; Star Star; Red Chord/Here Comes the Night.

Comments

[Glow]

Sometimes you are so looking forward to a show or event that the anticipation and buildup in your own mind is a lot more fun than the actual concert. This show was not one of those times. This concert completely blew me away and far exceeded anything I imagined it would be. Their take on Cactus was pretty fricking sweet.

[KevRocket]

One of the best shows I have EVER experienced and I have seen quite a few (way back to U2 at the Uptown in 1981). So much heart and melody, and no flashing lights and dancers (unless you count the girls up in the balcony by the stage). Just beautiful music. Plus the sound was very clear and mixed extremely well from our seats which were under the balcony. The Pixies tune was really cool. I'd love to hear them play a few more off-the-beaten-path cover tunes. However, Star Star stood out as one of my favorites of the night.
A splendid night it was!

[Darin]

I went by myself to the show last night and about half way through the set list, I couldn't believe what was happening. The energy from the stage and the quiet devotion of the crowd was turning Uptown into a transcendent place.

I knew that no matter what I told my friends and family about the performance, there was absolutely no way I could describe the beauty of it all.

Marketa's voice was even more than I hoped for in peron, just flawless and Hansard came across as the one of the most genuine artist I've ever seen. Kudos to the crowd as well, outside of a few misplaced shout outs, just a wonderful group.

[Festy]

Great gig! Great review!

[Erin]

This was definitely one of the best shows I've ever seen! I love that they played a lot of stuff from the "Once" soundtrack.

But, it's time for the air conditioner to be turned on at the Uptown -- it was WAY too hot and stuffy in there!

[Tim Finn]

Yeah, it got pretty steamy. I was sad to see it end but also a little relieved; the aroma of body odor was starting to get to me.

[butterfli311]

Great review - I'm saving a copy of it so I can reflect on the perfect evening for years to come.

[Jason]

It was a fantastic show. I was really pleased to hear the mix of songs and I look forward to the Frames coming thru town.

My one complaint is touched on by the reviewer here. I don't understand the big deal with artists mixing up KC, KS with KC, MO (or as both said tonight "Kansas, Kansas" and "Kansas, Missouri." The comparison between Belfast and Dublin is ridiculous (are you serious?) and I don't know why every show I see in town has to have someone from the audience bringing that up. What percentage of the audience is even from the city? I'd much rather hear the artist talk or play another song than verbally try to figure out why we are so picky on the location thing.

[KevRocket]

FYI - Thankfully the audio from this show was recorded. There was a banner behind the merchandise stand for a site called playedlastnight.com. Apparently they record live concerts and make them available as a download for purchase through their website. I emailed the company and they said the KC show should be available in about a week or so. How cool is that!

[Tim Finn]

The Belfast/Dublin comparison was a joke, at least for me. But some people take it that seriously (whether they're talking college sports or the Civil War). But I agree. So what? Let it go.

[You're in Kansas City, MISSOURI!!]

Jason said:

"I don't know why every show I see in town has to have someone from the audience bringing that up. What percentage of the audience is even from the city?"

....Ummmm, more people than you would think and we are rather proud of the fact that these shows are playing in Kansas City, Missouri and not the suburbs and frankly, we don't want to be lumped in with the suburbanites. Just a personal preference.

Also, when someone from Kansas boos a reference to Missouri at a concert that is actually in Missouri, well, I'm thankful that the Missouri side has so many great venues for live music and Kansas, at least Johnson and Wyandotte Counties, just don't...so boo all you want. Your envy makes me smile.

.......and the Swell Season show WAS pretty wonderful, REGARDLESS of where you came in from.

[Pat]

It's obvious they are still surprised by the sudden attention and figuring out what this new life after an Oscar win really means. As Glen said, he had been kicking the songwriting ball towards the goal for about 17 years. You always want to get that perfect kick, and you're not sure what's different each time you do it. But somehow this last one went over the post, over the crowd, out of the stadium, down by the river. Granted adding Marketa is a whole new level of creativity (and their harmonies together are just flawless), and then there was the micro budget film "Once", connecting with people visually with a story, as well as musically. It's nice to see art doesn't have to be big to succeed and have a big emotional impact.

When you go back and listen to the older Frames material, you know what he means, there always has been high quality work there. They just never had that breakout moment. Even after the recent popularity which is still growing, Glen is still Glen, an outspoken Irishman that keeps forgetting to censor his language even after spotting some younger concert goers. Still eager to respond directly to the audience feedback. Both are still regular people, able to venture over to the internet cafe next to Cafe Trio for a coffee (and nice enough to stop for a picture) and then walk the back neighborhoods before the show. As a long line of people waited for the doors to open, they were able to blend in and move past the line of people outside and not be recognized until they turned into the back entrance, when they were then noticed and a big roar finally went up and they waved back to the crowd.

What a great show and night.

[chris]

i thought it was a great show and a really interesting crowd. if i had to put a percentage to it, i'd guess that 80% of that crowd goes to 2 shows a year; up in the top balcony that percent goes up even higher. because of that, it made for interesting people watching. plus, three people asked me where the bathrooms were. this shocked me for two reasons; one, i don't work for the uptown and two, this must have been their first trip to the uptown. and for the record, had i worked there, all the doors would have been open; i'll never understand why venues don't better control the temperature. i did see a woman get carried out in front of me. i also saw the fire marshall show up during the encore break; he had a hopeless look about him.

as tim stated, it's SO amazingly rare to see music like that get rewarded. i love glen hansard and last night was the 4th time i've got to see him, i was so happy they closed with the frames' "red chord". his talk about winning the oscar is the only way a more than sold out show happens at the uptown and across the US in like-sized and bigger venues. the frames have tried to tackle america and did it best while opening for damien rice, as they did at liberty hall back in april 2004.

it's great that so many are hearing the frames' work and what glen's success is turning into, now with the "swell season." it will be interesting to see where it goes and how it continues, post oscar, post indie film, post john stewart pulling marketa back on stage to give her acceptance speech. i hope it continues in one way or another.

with an oscar behind it and sold out shows everywhere maybe this story could go on to become a small stage musical play that could play in college towns for the next 50 years.

chris

[allison]

I need some help from all you concert goers...

The violinist played a little tune within a song toward the end (I now can't remember which one--probably Fitzcarraldo) that was so familiar to me, but I can't for the life of me place it! Glen even sang some of the lyrics after the fiddler played it, and it went, "da da da, imagination". Any thoughts? It could've been from Broadway or a Disney or muppets movie for all I know, but I am dying to know what it was. I wish I could sing the tune for you all to hear! Help!

Of course, I agree with you all it was a beautiful show on a beautiful night.

[gr]

The song? Pure Imagination from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I think Glen may have even mentioned Gene Wilder.

[allison]

Thank you GR! Mystery solved. I had a hard time understanding Glen at times, due to the accent and the chattering chics behind me...

[Liza]

The only thing during the actual show I could have done without was the fiddle solo. I don't say that because he was unskilled, but only because I've seen Andrew Bird perform live enough times that the violin/looping standard has been set very high.

Other than that, the evening was fantastic. I look forward to reliving the night via download sometime in the next few weeks!

[RaiderHawk]

The world needs fewer chattering chicks. And dudes, too.

[Jose Rolon]

One of the best concerts I have been too. From beginning to end, it was f@#%* brilliant. I had heard about the opening song where he comes out without using the mic...I couldn't wait for it, I was so excited! Just when he started and I was caught up, the woman behind me screamed "LOUDER!". I turned to her and said "Your F&@#! kiddin' right?". I wanted tap her forehead with one of those silly glow sticks they handed out with the drinks.

Love the review. It was the morning coffee I needed to start my day after an amazing night!

Question: I was looking for last night's set list which is how I stumbled on your website. I am a new fan after I saw Once (saw it 4x in the theater), so I'm just discovering The Swell Season & The Frames. Wasn't there a song called "Moon" that they sang?

[concert chris]

Posted by: chris | May 06, 2008 at 11:25 PM

with an oscar behind it and sold out shows everywhere maybe this story could go on to become a small stage musical play that could play in college towns for the next 50 years.

chris
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i can predict the future. "Once" is being turned into a Broadway musical. i wonder how much glen and marketa will get for their story.