Glen Hansard is Absolutely Adorable

I saw the Swell Season concert with Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova last night at Radio City. The show was completely sold out and mobbed which seemed to completely shock and amaze the performers. Hansard said that when they were in New York two years ago to perform (at a 150 seat theater which they were thrilled to sell out), they walked by Radio City and could only dream of playing there. They repeatedly said throughout the concert how important the concert was to them and they kept thanking the audience for coming. They were so excited about playing at Radio City that Irglova had flown her whole family in from the Czech Republic for the occasion (she sang one song with her sister which was beautiful).

One of the best parts of the concert was listening to Glen Hansard introduce each song. His earnest explanation of each song was nearly as long as the song itself and each involved a rambling story about love and loss that was very funny and beautiful. Introducting their Oscar-winning hit, "Falling Slowly," he compared the success of that song to wanting to kick a ball across a yard and then kicking it over the fence, over a river, around the world and ultimately to a place you never imagined (although he admitted that part of him still wants to ask for his fuckin' ball back).

The music itself was absolutely gorgeous. They played some new material, some songs from the film and even some Van Morrison covers. Watching Hansard perform Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks," was enthralling - his voice is so heartbreakingly beautiful and he stood alone on stage vigorously strumming his acoustic guitar creating the aural allusion that a full band was behind him. Hansard and Irglova meld so well together - their vocal harmonies just stir the soul. Ending with a cover of "Into the Mystic" after two hours of performing, you could tell that they were reluctant to leave the stage and have the night end and I didn't particularly want it to end either.

This is a poor, poor substitute but here's just a taste of the beauty and power of Hansard's music: