It was a chilly Sunday evening. People in jackets and scarves came walking down Congress Ave. to gather in front of The Paramount, a venue whose stage has humbled itself under the feet of many super stars over the years. But you’ll be hard-pressed to find many acts to start off their set by taking a knee on the regal stage, and quaintly singing to a crowd of hundreds as if to a small coffee shop. This is how The Swell Season warmed us up.
The Swell Season are Markéta Irglová, classically trained Czech pianist and vocalist, and Glen Hansard, who also happens to be the lead singer of Irish band, The Frames.
That night Irglová was modestly dressed in a long red skirt and Hansard wore a striped beanie with a puffball atop his head. They both sat on the back of their heels in the center of the stage and sang “You Must Have Fallen from the Sky,” a song off their self-titled debut album. It also makes an appearance on the soundtrack from the motion picture, Once. If you have not yet seen this film, it is a must. Both musicians star in the film, as well as wrote all the songs featured in its soundtrack.
The crowd started clapping as both got up from the floor. Irglová walked to the piano and Hansard began playing “Lies,” another great song from the Once soundtrack. By the third song, they were grooving full band. The Frames had joined The Swell Season on their North American fall tour. Hansard expressed his joy over the boys’ ability to remain good friends and being able to incorporate them into his new project.
The back of the stage was encircled with large wooden structures that when lit red resemble giant flames. But that wasn’t the only thing that made me take off my sweater. The music, passionate. The energy, all-consuming.
At one point during the set, violinist Colm Mac Con Iomaire was left alone on the stage to serenade us with an 18th century Irish love song. It was intended for more than one violin, so he said he would “conjure up some friends of his.” He began recording parts into a loop station, which would create the illusion of accompaniment by adding in and taking out parts during the song. As he played eloquently, I closed my eyes and landed on a grassy hill. This is probably how my mind imagines Ireland.
The set continued with Irglová’s tender performance of “If You Want Me,” and Hansard’s tear-jerking performance of “Leave.”
Then came “Say It To Me Now,” which according to Hansard, is about “holding stuff in until it becomes cancer and you die.” This one is a favorite of mine because of the way Hansard sings the serious chorus, “Cause this is what you've waited for, your chance to even up the score, and as these shadows fall on me now I will somehow,” until he’s pushing out, even yelling “So if you have something to say, say it to me now, say it to me now, say it to me now,” at the end of the song.
They also played “Rise,” a song by The Frames, and gave a shout-out to Austin legend Daniel Johnston. The night only began to come to a close when they all took the stage again for a five-song encore. The third of which was “High Horses,” my personal favorite off their latest album ‘Strict Joy.’
The Swell Season is one of those bands that I thought it wouldn’t top their album with their live performance. I am confident in saying that it was just as good if not better to watch their music come to fruition in front of my eyes.
The very last song was an Irish folk song, “A Parting Glass,” which was appropriately dedicated to William Liam Clancy of The Clancy Brothers, which Hansard attributed as being “the first Irish rock stars.” Unfortunately, ‘Liam’ is not well. The entire crowd sang in unison, “Goodnight and joy be with you all.” Those were the last words of the night.
The stage radiated warmth throughout the entire show, both visually and sonically. You could say The Paramount was set ablaze with the fiery sounds of The Swell Season. I walked to my car that night with a strong desire to sit in front of a fire with a cup of soup and a lover.
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