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Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2009 > November > 16 > Entry
Live review: the Swell Season at the Paramount
Harry Houdini once performed at the Paramount Theatre- some of the current ushers might’ve worked that show- but it’s hard to imagine a more magical night at the old grand hall than Sunday, when the Swell Season put a musical spell on the sold-out crowd for two hours.
The night just felt special, like when you can see in the performers’ eyes that this ain’t Dallas.
“The Swell Season” was the name of a 2006 album credited to Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard, which actually came out a year before they “met” onscreen with the beyond-charming film “Once.” But the group now called the Swell Season is Hansard’s band, make no mistake about it, though Irglova certainly had her transfixing moments Sunday.
With Hansard’s old band from Dublin, the Frames, backing up the duo (who switched between piano and guitar), and the amazing fiddler Colm Mac Con Iomaire doing a solo turn on a traditional Irish tune, the show was one of several musical configurations. There was none so pure and powerful, however, as Hansard standing up there all alone with a battered acoustic guitar. His possessed version of Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks” may have left his strumming hand permanently blurred and “Say It To Me Now” had folks dabbling at their eyes after the Irishman interjected a touching story about how saying something instead of just thinking it can make someone’s day in a deep and meaningful way.
Hearing his voice is the aural counterpart of watching an athlete do something almost miraculous. How can he possibly do that day after day?
Those who came to hear the Oscar-winning “Falling Slowly” and “When Your Mind’s Made Up” from “Once,” were not disappointed, unless they were the impatient type. Both highlights from the film came near the end, both past 11 p.m. on a Sunday night. Of the two, “Falling Slowly” was better; it’s really hard to top the emotional undercurrent of the movie version of “Mind’s Made Up.”
Hansard seemed a bit thrown off by just how pin-drop quiet the scene was, and when the band emerged to encore with “Falling Slowly” he asked the audience to remain standing because it felt better. Indeed, it was a bit surprising that the performance didn’t inspire more standing ovations. If I was in the fifth row, I would’ve been up ten times.
See John Carney’s “Once” (terrible title) if you haven’t. It’s probably the best film ever made about why people make music and how they become connected through songs. The film’s theme was there in the flesh Sunday night, when the audience sang along to an encore number so new it doesn’t yet have a name.
When it comes to Glen Hansard and the Swell Season, “Once” is not enough. But if that’s all you’ve got, it’s plenty.
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By Paul
November 16, 2009 8:13 AM | Link to this
I concur. It was an extraordinary evening of sheer talent - one of the best live music performances I’ve seen yet in Austin.
A bit after-the-fact for those reading this review, but I heartily recommend catching the Swell Season live if possible. Watching people like you and I magically transform the atmosphere of an entire theater is nothing short of astounding.