Concert #626 - The Swell Season at McCabe's Guitar Shop (February 12, 2012)

In an earlier blog entry, published after I first saw the Swell Season at McCabe's two years ago, I wrote "Would I ever have the good fortune of seeing them again at McCabe's? Unlikely". I was wrong. Last Sunday, I once again held in my hand a ticket that had the words "The Swell Season" written on it. My Lucky Stars, if you are reading this: Thank you, thank you, thank you!

A rare and precious commodity

The concert started with a hilarious reversal of roles: Glen went straight to the piano, while Marketa, carrying Glen's beat-up guitar, planted herself at center stage, before launching into "I Have Loved You Wrong". The second song of the set, "Low Rising", had the two protagonists returned to their usual routines. The timbre of Glen's voice, as well as his vocal inflections sounded just like on the studio version, it was uncanny, but then, toward the end of the song, Glen asked the crowd to sing along and that took away a bit from the spell I was under. By the way, he sang the "Sexual Healing" version, if you know what I mean.

I absolutely loved Glen's passionate voice on "When Your Mind's Made Up" and "Say It To Me Now", two amazing songs that I can't imagine being sung by anyone but Glen. Marketa interjected herself with a few delicate ballads delivered with her soft voice, but with a lot more confidence than two years ago.

SET LIST

I Have Loved You Wrong

Low Rising

Lies

In These Arms

When Your Mind's Made Up

Say It To Me Now

The Hill

Spencer the Rover

Lullaby

Daf Drum Solo (performed by Aida Shahghasemi)

If You Want Me

The Given Note (Seamus Heaney poem)

Bird of Sorrow

It's Coming

All The Way Down

Drive All Night (Bruce Springsteen tune)

Into The Mystic

Dance With Somebody

Kissing (performed by Shane Walsh)

Falling Slowly

Leave

Fogtown (Michelle Shocked classic)

Banana Man

Star Star

Parting Glass

At one point, midway through the show, Glen invited Shane Walsh, an aspiring Irish singer-songwriter, to come up on the stage and sing "Kissing", one of Shane's songs. It wasn't bad. Glen and Marketa received additional support from Aida Shahghasemi, an Iranian-born musician who played an old Persian percussion instrument called daf. She made a good impression on me and the crowd loved her as well.

Aida Shahghasemi

As always, the Swell Season played a few covers. Their epic rendition of Van Morrison's "Into The Mystic" and the equally epic "Fogtown", the old Michelle Shocked tune, were the best. Bruce Springsteen's "Drive All Night" was good, too. Here are Glen and Marketa delivering "Fogtown" at McCabe's, with Yours Truly sitting literally at their feet:

The show was a reunion of sorts for Glen and Marketa, who had not played together in many months. Having had no time to rehearse or even come up with a set list, they pretty much winged the whole show and they winged it great. I enjoyed observing the ad-hoc song selection process, as Glen was throwing titles around, in expectation of Marketa's acceptance.

The final song of the evening, an old Irish tune called "The Parting Glass", was yet another highlight of a concert that in essence consisted of nothing but highlights.

From left: Aida, Marketa and Glen

Glen & Marketa - The final hug

Glen thanking the crowd

Glen picking up his stuff after the show

There are no words to describe the emotions triggered by Glen and Marketa's music. The juxtaposition of their diametrically opposed voices, facial expressions and temperaments produce amazing results. They write songs of the highest quality. Their humility is visible from a mile, a clear sign that their well-deserved success did not go to their heads. I hope and pray that I'll get to see them again one day.

5:15 PM - Fans line up for the 8 PM show

Glen Hansard reporting to work

Marketa Irglova chatting with the first person in line

Ralph, My Better Half and Laura in line at McCabe's

Glen's guitar and Aida's daf

P.S. The link below will take you to someone else's blog. Go ahead and click - you will land on a page that covers this very same concert, but from a radically different angle. I read the page and my heart broke. 

http://ancroiait.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/25-swell-season-at-mccabes-2012/

Concert #548 - The Swell Season at McCabe's Guitar Shop (March 14, 2010)

Picking the best McCabe's concert I've ever seen is mission impossible, but one thing is for sure: no other show was better than what I saw on March 14, 2010.

The concert sold out in minutes, it was a miracle that I managed to get two tickets. Initially, my better half was supposed to go with me, but a bad cold got in the way. Enter my young friend Ralph, a ticketless Swell Season fan, who could not hide his joy for his bit of good luck. 

The McCabe's show was the first of two small-venue benefit concerts for Kenya's Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, a cause Glen Hansard had taken an interest in. Tickets cost $40, a real bargain.

I reached McCabe's at 5:30 PM, which - it turned out - wasn't early enough to be first in line: seven or eight people, obviously crazier than me, had already lined up for the privilege of getting in first. I was soon joined by Ralph and we had a great time chatting out there in the street.

McCabe's window display - Swell Season poster

Ralph and I sat in the front row, right at Glen's feet, and from there we witnessed a performance that is hard to describe in words. Glen Hansard is a force of nature. I can't think of anyone more intense or more soulful than him, and all this while maintaining total humility and a down-to-earthness that is rarely seen. His facial expressions and the passion in his voice are unforgettable. In contrast, Marketa Irglova's personality was far less powerful. She appeared to be fragile and vulnerable, an impression that was reinforced by her low-profile stage presence as well as her somewhat weak singing voice. But maybe it's the Glen-Marketa contrast that makes the Swell Season such an electrifying act.

Glen & Marketa at McCabe's (March 14, 2010)

 The show had many high points. "Low Rising" was one of them. "Into The Mystic" was an absolute knock-out and so was "No Woman, No Cry".

Here's a live-in-studio version of "Into The Mystic", performed exactly the way we saw it at McCabe's: 

A few songs in, Glen invited to the stage an acoustic guitar player from Spain, by the name of Javier Mas, who had toured the world with Leonard Cohen. Javier's virtuosity was a great addition to the show. All the while, Glen Hansard used one of the most beat-up guitars I had ever seen.

They played many songs from "Strict Joy", as well as their first, self-titled album. I liked "Paper Cup", "Falling Slowly" and most everything else they sang.

Watch the Swell Season in a powerful performance of "Low Rising", live on Dave Letterman:

Glen Hansard's beat-up guitar

 Overall, it was one of the best concerts one could ever see and hear. Would I ever have the good fortune of seeing them again at McCabe's? Unlikely.