GLEN HANSARD : DUBLIN 2014

GLEN HANSARD : DUBLIN 2014

Disc One (61:50)

Grace Beneath the Pines
This Gift
My Little Ruin
Love Don’t Leave Me Waiting
Talking with the Wolves / Riders on the Storm
Philander
When Your Mind’s Made Up
Bird of Sorrow
Paying My Way
Leave / Love Reign O’er Me

Disc Two (56:24)

Come Away to the Water
Stay the Road
Lowly Deserter
Song for Mic
High Hope
Winning Streak
Wedding Ring
Fitzcarraldo
Revelate
McCormack’s Wall
Her Mercy (with Grainne Hunt)

Disc Three (71:19)

Song of Good Hope
Falling Slowly
Here In The Wild (August Wells)
Be Brave and Believe (Declan O’Rourke)
After Rain (Dermot Kennedy)
Window Shopping for Faith (Mundy)
Sing All Our Cares Away (Damien Dempsey)
Baby, Don’t You Do It
What the World Needs Now (Lisa O'Neill)
The Auld Triangle (with Damien Dempsey, Declan O'Rourke, Lisa O'Neill, Joe Boyle, Gerry and Mic Christopher)

Label : Niko Records

Venue : Vicar Street, Dublin, Ireland

Recording Date : December 15, 2014

Quality : Soundboard Recording (A+)

Review : Excellent soundboard recording of wonderful show at Vicar Street in Dublin.

Concert Review (Order In The Sound) : We are back at Vicar Street for what has become an annual event – a Christmas charity gig from Glen and the lads to raise money for a worthy cause. Monies raised from the show tonight will be going to the Peter McVerry Trust which has operated since 1983 and whose main purpose is to reduce homelessness in Ireland. This issue of homelessness has recently been at the forefront of public consciousness as a result of the tragic death only weeks ago of homeless man Jonathan Corrie on the steps of Ireland’s parliament (Dáil Éireann). The death of a local man in such a public place (and so close to the politicians) has led to significant financial pledges being made by the Irish government to tackle the issue of homelessness. In the meantime, funds are still urgently needed on a daily basis to assist with the accommodation of thousands of homeless people in Ireland every night. The Trust has indicated that the sharp rise in people requiring emergency accommodation is the result of (amongst other things) an increase in whole families becoming homeless. These families are not subject to addiction or violence but simply are not in a position to pay the rent or otherwise meet their everyday financial burdens. The funds raised tonight will therefore assist greatly in dealing with these rising emergency accommodation needs. So not only do the punters tonight contribute towards a worthy cause, they also get to experience of one of Glen’s epic Vicar Street gigs – everyone’s a winner. There are some fantastic performances from tonight’s show – here are some highlights: * The night opened with a brand new song (one of seven new/unreleased songs in the setlist) – ‘Grace (Beneath the Pines)’. Glen sits himself down behind the piano and dishes out a lovely tune with the accompaniment of the band and string section. I am again impressed by the results of Glen stepping away from his trusty guitar and it’s always great to hear the tunes Glen is working on. You never know which ones will make the cut for the next record and many often don’t, but it’s good to know the creative juices are consistently flowing. The other new/unreleased songs in the setlist were ‘My Little Ruin’, ‘Paying My Way’, ‘Stay the Road’, ‘Lowly Deserter’, ‘Winning Streak’ and ‘Wedding Ring’. As we can’t share these unreleased tracks on the Internet at this stage, I can only implore people to get along to one of Glen’s shows to hear these new tracks – you won’t be disappointed. * The second song in, Glen introduces a brand new member of his instrument family – his new guitar which has been made by friend Rene. It has been hand-made from wood extracted from a church bench in Co. Down. Glen jokes about the many Protestant bottoms which have most-likely warmed the wood currently in his hands and notes that tonight is the guitar’s first official outing. It sounds pretty good and Glen gives it a nice going over on ‘This Gift’. I suspect it won’t be long until Glen makes some trademark holes in this number! * After ‘Bird of Sorrow’, Glen takes the opportunity to give us a few solo numbers. The first is new tune is ‘Paying My Way’. Glen tells us that the story of this song is told by someone related to the narrator of the classic Frames track ‘Lay Me Down’. It’s about a man whose sole sense of pride in life comes from the fact that he has worked hard and paid his own way in life. It’s just Glen and guitar but there’s a part in the middle of the song begging for a solo of some sort – Glen calls out for anyone with an instrument to jump in but as there’s no-one on stage with him the opportunity goes begging. * Following a storming ‘Lowly Deserter’, Glen pays homage to one of the hardest working people in their crew – guitar tech, Jack of all trades and all-round good guy Mic Geraghty. Glen thanks Mic with a little made up ditty which includes the following lyrics: “You fix me strings, you bring me things You tune me when I’m down” You gotta appreciate some impromptu love from the boss! G’wan Mic!! * I feel the need to make special mention of the string section tonight. The mighty Colm Mac Con Iomaire is not with the band tonight and I think we can all agree that his shoes are very difficult ones to fill – but Paula, Katie and particularly Una do an outstanding job on the two Frames tracks (‘Fitzcarraldo’ and ‘Revelate’) – they rock hard! * So it’s not really a Glen charity gig without some special guest appearances and tonight is no different. I think what is slightly unexpected is the calibre of these guest performances – they are all amazing in their own way. Ken Griffin as August Wells glides into ‘Here in the Wild’ – it’s ethereal and just plain gorgeous. He is closely followed by Declan O’Rourke with the uplifting tune ‘Be Brave & Believe’ – this has the required effect on both the crowd and those on stage with Glen and Rob swaying arm in arm at the end of the song. Surprise packet Dermot Kennedy is next – this busker absolutely slays the crowd with a heartfelt performance that would give Glen a run for his money. Great friend to Glen and the Frames, Mundy, then treats us to a new song ‘Window Shopping for Faith’ from his upcoming record (which people can help fund here) and then we get to sing all our cares away with the one and only Damien Dempsey (aka the Irish Superman). It’s a stellar set of guests and performances which leaves us all wondering how it could possibly be topped! * The penultimate song of the night is also a real highlight – it’s a delightful cover of Burt Bacharach’s ‘What the World Needs Now’ led by Lisa O’Neill. When the trumpet starts up at the beginning there is a collective joyful sigh of recognition from the crowd and a great singalong. It really fits the intention and purpose of the night and is a perfect way to (almost) end the night’s proceedings. There’s been a great deal of money raised and a shedload of incredible performances – you can’t really ask for more than that from a charity gig. Kudos to all the performers who gave their all and much respect to those at the Peter McVerry Trust doing their best everyday for Ireland’s homeless.

Concert Review (Hot Press) : At one point, looking out on the Vicar Street faithful, Glen Hansard remarks, “It feels like church.” Thank goodness he said it. The annual pilgrimage to the Church of Glen is just as religious as Christmas at this stage, as ingrained in the holiday season as mulled wine and overpriced knitwear. People flock from far and wide to be part of the occasion, screaming glorious refrains as though they started the day mute. In the middle of it all, of course, is the evangelical figure of Hansard. Armed – fittingly enough – with a new guitar crafted from an old church pew, he might begin the night with some pared-down numbers but soon he’s flanked by an army of disciples – string section, brass section, rhythm section, the whole kit and caboodle. Some songs are merely lifted by the instrumental augmentation; ‘Song of Good Hope’ glistens with a string accompaniment, while ‘When Your Mind’s Made Up’ benefits from the power of brass. Others – ‘Bird of Sorrow’ and ‘Her Mercy’, to name but two – sound like they should never be without a full band’s support again. Hansard is happy to have the stage to himself for a while, too. He takes the chance during a brief solo stint to unleash some new material – ‘Paying My Way’ and ‘Stay the Road’ the standouts. Later on another newbie, ‘Wedding Ring’, sees trombonist Curtis Fowlkes take on vocal duties; a sign of things to come. After another slew of numbers with the band – of which ‘Revelate’ and ‘Falling Slowly’ stick out as suitably rousing – the sardine-esque backstage empties, as a parade of Irish talent take their turns in the spotlight; August Wells, Declan O’Rourke, Lisa O’Neill, Mundy, Damien Dempsey… it would be as easy to pick out the handful of familiar names who are absent. By the time the full complement is out there for a closing rendition of ‘The Auld Triangle’, there’s about as many on stage as in the audience. To watch the crowd depart would make you doubt the enlightenment inside; after four hours on their feet, people who could walk are now lame. The smiles, though, tell the story of the glorious communion of the night. It’s another special evening in Dublin music; another special chapter in The Book of Glen.