I saw the Swell Season Tuesday night at the Ryman. Glen Hansard, as usual, was funny and engaged the audience better than almost any musician I’ve seen, and Marketa compliments him perfectly. In reference to my last post, Glen started talking about a article he read in the New York Times about Ray Boltz with a headline that stated, “Jesus Doesn’t Hate Me Anymore.” He talked for a very long time about Ray’s story and explained it to the audience, although I was well-aware, and he kept referring the Mr. Boltz as a country star. At one point he used a faux-country accent to pretend to be Ray’s son saying, “What wrong with you, daddy?” which was hilarious. After finishing the story, he introduced his song as “Broke Back” and dedicated it to Ray Boltz.
The actual music part was incredible, too. My favorite was the first song of the encore (which was about as long as the original set). Glen came out on stage by himself, played his old, worn guitar and sang “Say It To Me Now” acoustic and unplugged, and then transitioned into a cover of Hank Williams’ “Lost Highway.”
My other favorite Glen quote of the night: “Now add in some harmony… a bit braver… and now with the presence of love!”
