A Swell Monday

11-24-2008

Best musicians ever? Is that an over statement? Perhaps, but they are the most soulful musicians ever: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. They are the stars of the movie Once. Which if you’ve never seen, get on it. Glen is also the front man of The Frames, an all around solid group out of Ireland.

Glen was like a child on that stage in Royal Albert Hall, not that he was unprofessional in his way, but in the wonderment he had for the space he was in. Watching him pound away on his guitar and passionately yell into his tessitura was like watching Brett Favre playing football. Strange comparison I know, but hear me out. As any Packer fan, or football can for that matter, knows, watching Brett is like watching a kid in the backyard, just loving the game. This was Glen. On stage and loving it.

He started solo….completely solo, without even a sound system. Just him and his beat up acoustic guitar at the front of the stage and filling Royal Albert Hall with “So this is what you’ve waited for.” He was then joined by Marketa for “When your mind’s made up.” Then the rest of the band came out and I was trapped in Swell Season euphoria.

One of the openers came and joined the band playing the fiddle on a few numbers as well. All around, an absolutely fantastic show.