Tuesday, 17 Jun 2008
With a $35 ticket price comes the enormous possibility of disappointment if the show doesn’t live up to your hard earned dollars. Walking into the beautiful Overture Hall in Madison last night to see Once darlings Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová perform under The Swell Season moniker I’ll admit my reservations.
While Once was undoubtedly a surprise success, my adoration resided firmly in the sound of Hansard’s rock outfit, The Frames – who remembers them opening for Damien Rice in Madison? Last night’s performance brought charming chatter, gorgeous and expanded renditions of the songs that made Once such a resounding success story, while also providing a hearty sampling of Hansard’s ability to lead a rock and roll band.
Hansard played equal parts band leader and comedic funny guy. He holds the spellbinding capability of storytelling (though not always direct), certainly gets the point across with a charm all his own. When the entire band left him to himself in front of the sold out audience, Hansard pulled the surprising move of unplugging his guitar and stepping away from the mic for a rousing rendition of “Say It To Me Now.” While Hansard very well may be the de facto band leader, the gentle touches of Markete Irglova made the evening complete. The first time she stepped from the piano to the guitar and took lead vocals was an absolute highlight of the night.
Last night proved that a band can be captivating and appealing to a diverse selection of music fans in the city of Madison. It proved once again that music can span generations and cross stereotypes. It felt good witnessing a modern day feel-good story stand in front of a sold out crowd and be so genuinely thankful. The Swell Season was a class act and top-notch performers as well. I hope you guys enjoyed it.
Discuss: Thoughts on the show? Who made the noise that resulted in the song change during Glen’s solo acoustic set? How did you feel about the Irish violin solo? Did you bump into Glen and Markéta walking around town? Did you catch Glen name drop Wisconsin favorite Bon Iver? Did you like Glen’s thrift store outfit, purchased earlier on State St.? Will you buy a record by The Frames?
Photo: Nick Mickolas
Myspace: The Swell Season
Find MP3’s at The Hype Machine or buy stuff from Strictly Discs | eMusic
June 17th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I’m a little leery of their upcoming Dallas show. On one hand, I’d love to go see it. On the other, it’s at a venue that can be quite noisy and I’ve already gotten the sense that there will be a great many people there that don’t normally go to shows. This could either make it a total mess because in Dallas it seems like a lot of people go to shows just to get drunk and talk to each other over the music, but it could make it nice because maybe those people will get rightfully shushed by the folks who only get to see one show a year and paid 35 bucks for it. It’s a tough call for someone who’s mostly a Frames fan.
Also, the Dallas venue is Standing Room / GA only… and The Swell Season should be a sit-down show.
Decisions, decisions.
June 17th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
The set was amazing.
I’d love to see Glen try his hand at some lyric-less post-rock ala Explosions in the Sky. His sense of build is great, and his crescendos are amazingly well layered.
What the hell was that song they played as people were leaving the theater? How many times can you say ’sexy’ in one song? Was that the violinist’s music?
June 17th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I didn’t go to the show, but my brother and I were eating lunch at Himal Chuli yesterday on State Street here in Madison, when Hansard and Irglova strolled past. He was flexing a flannel shirt & a backpack and thought I was watching a scene from the film. Thought he might bust out a ukelele and start busking with the banjo guy that posts up on that block.
June 17th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
The show was amazing! I loved Once and was really looking forward to hearing the songs from the movie. But the show was so much more than I even expected. I couldn’t have been happier! And Glen and Mara were so appreciative of all of us fans, our enthusiasm, and their own success… they are a class act.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
When my gf got us tickets i had no idea who this band was but when they played the first song i was blown away the music sounded so good all in all the show was AMAZING does anyone know the song order they played
June 18th, 2008 at 8:55 am
I second all the raves that have already been posted here (especially for Glen’s sudden unplugged moment), but I also want to give a shout out to Nina Nastasia, who gave a subtler but also wonderful performance as the opener. I’ve been disappointed for weeks that Madison was NOT getting Iron & Wine (who are opening for some Swell Season shows out west), but having heard Nina play, I’m more than satisfied.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Loved the show! I wasn’t a Frames fan before but have quickly become one and can’t get enough of their music. I was a bit skeptical going into it – I was afraid that they’d focus on the soundtrack but hoped they’d give us some stories and other music. They gave us that and then some! I was so engrossed in the show that I felt like I was getting my own personal show. The build up throughout some of the songs was so beautiful that I had tears in my eyes. If I could, I’d see the show again and again and again!
June 18th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
I think that unfairly, due to the movie’s popularity with the older female population, a lot of younger folk (especially guys) might be tempted to overlook The Swell Season. Definitely an incredible live show – good to see them playing some festivals (Bonnaroo e.g.) this summer. This band deserves all of the exposure and accolades they receive.
Nina Nastasia was good but she did put me to sleep – the lady needs to not be so afraid to disrupt the quiet calm of the theater.
Also – the Overture’s balcony is total shit. They need safety bars because the angle’s so steep? That’s just adding insult to injury since my presale tickets netted me FOURTH ROW FROM THE BACK OF THE BALCONY (thanks for nothing Triple M). I love the concert industry, but HATE the ticketing business.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Nina Nastasia eclipsed the Swell Season for me. What an amazing singer and songwriter. Every song she sang gave me chills. I can’t believe I’d never heard of her before.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:36 am
That was a great pairing. Both the Swell Season and Nina Nastasia made my night. I bought two old Frames cds and all five Nina Nastasia cds after the show. Not one bad one in the bunch. I hope they come back to Madison soon!
June 20th, 2008 at 12:22 am
I know I am in the minority here, but I thought the Swell Season were kind of cheesy and overblown. Sometimes Hansard reminds me of Peter Frampton up there, but with less humor. I felt there was a lot of hype going on in the audience. They got a hundred standing ovations. Give me a break. Didn’t catch the opener.
June 23rd, 2008 at 6:01 pm
I saw them this month at Bonnaroo, and I agree with your assessment, Ryan. The Frames are hard for me to get into on cd, but they were fantastic backing Glen and Marketa. Just killer. They performed God Bless Mom, which is whine-y on the The Frames album (see YouTube) but was an object lesson in crescendo and decrescendo live–they were orchestrating the crowd perfectly. Mebbe I need to go to the U.K. for a proper Frames show…