Comments on: Review: The Swell Season – Overture Hall, Madison

By: Stella Splice

Stella Splice — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:01:27 +0000

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…

By: William Brophy

William Brophy — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:22:18 +0000

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.

By: Anders

Anders — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:36:31 +0000

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!

By: Sarah Corter

Sarah Corter — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 05:20:05 +0000

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.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 02:38:16 +0000

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.

By: Karen O

Karen O — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:25:24 +0000

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!

By: John G.

John G. — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:55:58 +0000

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.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 04:50:20 +0000

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

By: Sara

Sara — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:05:39 +0000

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.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:57:10 +0000

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.