The Swell Season, Radio City Music Hall, 5/19/08
It's almost hard to put into words how amazing the show was last night. At times I was almost in tears because of the beauty of their music and the intensity of their performance. Interference, the band they sing "Gold" with in the flat during Once, flew in from Ireland for the show, and they opened with a huge set. The lead singer Fergus O'Farrell - a fantastic singer - has Muscular Dystrophy and is in a wheelchair, so they don't perform very often (at least that's what I read somewhere) - so this was special. Marketa's family was in from the Czech Republic, and her sister joined her on stage so Marketa and she could perform a song from the classic film the Wicker Man.
Glen performed "Say It To Me Now" to start the show - without a mic - he went up to the very edge of the stage and belted it. Some people yelled "we can't hear you!" - but people cheered. (They used mics after...) :) Their set was over two hours long, and it would have gone on had the venue let them, I imagine. Glen did some songs by himself - notably a Van Morrison song where he played his guitar so hard that I thought his fingers would start bleeding, he'd break a string, or both. He was definitely feeding off the energy of the crowd - and his humorous introductions were the best. He apologized in advance for possible swearing, and said it was on account of the British having beaten the Irish language out of their people for so many years that the Irish, in revenge, have to use profanity in excess when they speak English. :)
Edit The song is "Astral Weeks"
Glen talked about how it was such a big change for them since the last time they played NYC in 2006. He walked with Mar near Radio City and said, "you know what that is?" She didn't. He said it was THE venue, and that they had to play it. So they were quite moved by playing to a sold out audience there now - when back in '06 they were pleased with selling out 150 seats at the bar Pianos.
At some point they said goodnight, but the crowd wouldn't stop giving them standing ovations and cheering... and it seems like they did almost ten songs as an encore. Every now and then the house lights would come on and you could see them taking it all in. The violinist from The Frames (who plays with them), Colm Mac Con Iomairem did a song by himself from his own new album - another one everyone should look for. The very last song was their cover of Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic" - and the whole audience was standing, singing, and moving. Somehow Colm worked the Willy Wonka tune "Pure Imagination" in at the end of the song "Star Star", and then Glen sang a bit from it. "Do you know what happened to the boy who got everything he wanted? He lived happily ever after." (Misquote?)
It was surreal being there. I have a few crappy videos from my camera but the internet is being slow and I can't upload them. Luckily someone else at the show already did - and they got entire songs. I have a few photos, though.
(Not my videos - someone by the YouTube name "fourteenacross")
"If You Want Me"
"I Have Loved You Wrong"
"When Your Mind's Made Up"
"Gently Johnny" (from the Wicker Man)
"Falling Slowly"
Me outside in front of the sign.
Glen
The poster for this concert.
So yeah, I bought tickets for the show in Boston already... an early birthday present.
Edit - forgot to mention that he played the Hoover Sucker Fixer song. Someone asked him to play The Banana Man song he wrote for his niece - but he said he'll wait until he's on Sesame Street someday. :)
Also, Entertainment Weekly was at the concert and did a little review:
http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/05/swell-season-li.html
Setlist (Source:
Say It to Me Now (solo acoustic)
Lies
This Low
The Moon
When Your Mind's Made Up
True (The Frames)
I Have Loved You Wrong
Falling Slowly
Leave
What Happens When the Heart Just Stops (The Frames)
Astral Weeks* (Van Morrison)
Gently Johnny (Paul Giovanni - Wicker Man Soundtrack) (w/ Marketa's sister)
(If You've Gotta Go, Go with) Happiness
Once*
---
If You Want Me
The Blue Shoes (Colm Mac Con Iomaire)
Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy
Gold (by and with Interference)
Fitzcarraldo* (The Frames)
Star Star (The Frames) w/ "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory & Palace's "Christmastime In The Mountains"
Into the Mystic* (Van Morrison)
*Standing ovation.
Glen performed "Say It To Me Now" to start the show - without a mic - he went up to the very edge of the stage and belted it. Some people yelled "we can't hear you!" - but people cheered. (They used mics after...) :) Their set was over two hours long, and it would have gone on had the venue let them, I imagine. Glen did some songs by himself - notably a Van Morrison song where he played his guitar so hard that I thought his fingers would start bleeding, he'd break a string, or both. He was definitely feeding off the energy of the crowd - and his humorous introductions were the best. He apologized in advance for possible swearing, and said it was on account of the British having beaten the Irish language out of their people for so many years that the Irish, in revenge, have to use profanity in excess when they speak English. :)
Edit The song is "Astral Weeks"
Click to viewGlen talked about how it was such a big change for them since the last time they played NYC in 2006. He walked with Mar near Radio City and said, "you know what that is?" She didn't. He said it was THE venue, and that they had to play it. So they were quite moved by playing to a sold out audience there now - when back in '06 they were pleased with selling out 150 seats at the bar Pianos.
At some point they said goodnight, but the crowd wouldn't stop giving them standing ovations and cheering... and it seems like they did almost ten songs as an encore. Every now and then the house lights would come on and you could see them taking it all in. The violinist from The Frames (who plays with them), Colm Mac Con Iomairem did a song by himself from his own new album - another one everyone should look for. The very last song was their cover of Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic" - and the whole audience was standing, singing, and moving. Somehow Colm worked the Willy Wonka tune "Pure Imagination" in at the end of the song "Star Star", and then Glen sang a bit from it. "Do you know what happened to the boy who got everything he wanted? He lived happily ever after." (Misquote?)
It was surreal being there. I have a few crappy videos from my camera but the internet is being slow and I can't upload them. Luckily someone else at the show already did - and they got entire songs. I have a few photos, though.
(Not my videos - someone by the YouTube name "fourteenacross")
"If You Want Me"
"I Have Loved You Wrong"
"When Your Mind's Made Up"
"Gently Johnny" (from the Wicker Man)
"Falling Slowly"
Me outside in front of the sign.
Glen
The poster for this concert.
So yeah, I bought tickets for the show in Boston already... an early birthday present.
Edit - forgot to mention that he played the Hoover Sucker Fixer song. Someone asked him to play The Banana Man song he wrote for his niece - but he said he'll wait until he's on Sesame Street someday. :)
Also, Entertainment Weekly was at the concert and did a little review:
http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/05/swell-season-li.html
Setlist (Source:
Say It to Me Now (solo acoustic)
Lies
This Low
The Moon
When Your Mind's Made Up
True (The Frames)
I Have Loved You Wrong
Falling Slowly
Leave
What Happens When the Heart Just Stops (The Frames)
Astral Weeks* (Van Morrison)
Gently Johnny (Paul Giovanni - Wicker Man Soundtrack) (w/ Marketa's sister)
(If You've Gotta Go, Go with) Happiness
Once*
---
If You Want Me
The Blue Shoes (Colm Mac Con Iomaire)
Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy
Gold (by and with Interference)
Fitzcarraldo* (The Frames)
Star Star (The Frames) w/ "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory & Palace's "Christmastime In The Mountains"
Into the Mystic* (Van Morrison)
*Standing ovation.