Set List: The Swell Season at Paramount Theather

Still basking in the glow of a great performance of The Swell Season, the touring name that Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová (from the movie Once) are playing under as they tour. We caught them April 26, 2008, on their Bay Area stop at The Paramount Theater in downtown Oakland, a truly remarkable specimen of Art Deco glory... I'd see another show there in a heartbeat.

I'd surprised LeftCoastMom with tickets to the show a couple months ago, and boy was it worth the wait.

The show opened with some traditional Irish songs performed by guys that Glen used to busk with, Rónán Ó Snodaigh and Liam Ó Maonlaí (thanks, Andy, for catching the last names). I'm still amazed at what two guys with a drum, a piano and their talented voices can do to captivate an auditorium. They did a great job warming up the crowd for what was to come.

When it was time for the main act, Glen strolled on stage alone, unplugged his guitar from the amp and walked to the very front of the stage to play "Say It to Me Now" without any amplification whatsoever. The crowd was silent, the space was filled, and the show had gotten off to a rocking start. You can tell that Glen's spent quite a bit of time busking. His interplay with the audience was fantastic, and I can't remember the last time I laughed so much at the between-the-songs banter.

1. Say It to Me Now (Glen playing unplugged, completely)
2. Your Face (Markéta and Glen)
3. Lies (Frames join M&G on stage)
4. This Low
5. Your Love Makes Me Cheerful (new song by Glen)
6. When Your Mind's Made Up
7. Fancy Man (new song by Markéta)
8. Falling Slowly
*everyone leaves but Glen*
9. Leave
10. What Happens When The Heart Just Stops
11. Lay Me Down
*end solo*
12. Fogtown - Michelle Shocked cover (Glen playing with Markéta and Ronan)
13. Once
*encore*
14. If You Want Me
15. The Blue Shoes violin solo by Colm Mac Con Iomaire
16. True
17. Fitzcarraldo
18. Star Star
19. In to the Mystic - Van Morrison cover (Ronan and Liam joined in for this one, too)

What'll stick with me the longest is Glen's amazement with how long this popularity arc is soaring. His words: "I feel like I just tried to kick the ball across the garden, and it soared past the garden, over the wall, down the street, across the river and it's just kept going. Half of me wants the ball to keep going, and the other half wants my ball back." Heres hoping both halves get what they want.

BONUS: While searching for the name of the Fogtown song, I found this YouTube of a previous performance of Fogtown by G&M from Nov 2007, and it gives a good sense of just how much passion they put into each performance. You can find a whole batch of other related videos by clicking the video below.