One of the worst nights of rain that I can remember almost put paid to Monday night’s Glen Hansard gig in the legendary Vicar Street venue. On taking the stage Hansard explained that there was a real risk that the venue could lose power and that we’d all have to be evacuated.  Apparently an emergency meeting had been convened and he’d been asked whether or not he thought they should cancel the performance. His first response had been that that wasn’t really his department, but his second was that if at all possible, he really wanted to play for the assembled crowd.  Although he said he was sure he’d spend the night feeling constantly worried, the decision was taken to go ahead and for that I am thankful. This turned out to be a highlight of over twenty years of attending gigs – a stunningly memorable performance.

In a show that lasted not a kick in the arse off three hours it’d be difficult to comment on the full set list. In fact, I’m not so sure that’d be the way to approach a gig like this one anyway. The gorgeous poetry of Hansard’s lyrics, the power of his voice, the intense emotion of his performance and the love emanating from the crowd made the gig so much more than the sum of its parts.

He started though with “High Hope” from the 2012 Rhythm and Repose album. This was followed by Continue reading “Review: Glen Hansard – Vicar Street, Dublin”