The Swell Season Passed Through, and Vancouver was Glad to See Them

The Swell Season’s Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová weave together tales of love and heartache that, with every rise and fall of their rich instrumentals, are recollected in the hearts of their listeners. On a quiet Tuesday night in September, they played to a receptive crowd that filled the Orpheum Theatre with a full spectrum of emotions and impassioned cheers.

The Academy Award-winning duo have played together, on and off, since 2005. They grew to acclaim after starring in and scoring the 2007 film Once. They won an Oscar for Best Original Song for the film’s heartfelt single, “Falling Slowly”. Several songs from the movie, including “Falling Slowly”, also appear on their premiere self-titled album, The Swell Season, and were thankfully included on the night’s comprehensive setlist.

Without an opener, The Swell Season took the stage for a noteworthy two hours. Opening with Strict Joy’s “Low Rising”, they performed a solid selection of songs from their discography, including long-held favourites from Once and new wonders from their latest release, Forward. Throughout the comprehensive set, emotion continued to build, with each subsequent round of applause feeling louder than the one before. It was as if it became harder for the audience to contain their gratitude for the musical duo.

One exuberant fan yelled, “I love you, Glen” several times throughout the show, to which Hansard replied, “This song's for you”, at least twice. Near the end of the show, as the same fan called out again, Hansard turned the spotlight on them and returned the love by blowing a kiss into the crowd.

The combination of Hansard’s rough, raw vocals with Irglová’s more delicate sound forms the perfect expression of the many feelings their songwriting represents. They’re both high and low — just like life — but taken together, they make something exceptional.

Before beginning the 2007 single, “When Your Mind’s Made Up”, Hansard says with a laugh, “This one’s called, ‘If you don’t like my potatoes, why’d you dig so deep?’” As the familiar tune started up, the audience laughed along with him. It’s on songs like this, when Hansard’s expressive vocals bellow and rip through the air, that it feels as though his heart is attempting to rise up out of his throat.

Vancouver marked the second-to-last show of The Swell Season’s North American tour, celebrating their new album, Forward. Inevitably, the evening waned and the performance moved towards its ending. Skipping the faux exit, Irglová sat at the side of the stage with the rest of their band while Hansard stayed centre for what he called “The Messy Room”, a time he likened to that period after school when you can get a bit messy. Following a request from the crowd, Hansard opened this portion of the show with Once’s “Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy”, to which the elated audience sang along. He also took the opportunity to play some Canadian favourites, including a cover of “Coyote” by Joni Mitchell.

To close out the beautiful performance, Hansard and Irglová, along with their drummer and bassist, stood centre stage, where, without mics or amplification, they sang Leonard Cohen’s “Passing Through.” The foursome alternated verses and prompted the audience to join in at the chorus, together creating a harmony of voices that commemorated the veritable beauty of the evening.

Passin' through, passin' through
Sometimes happy, sometimes blue
Glad that I ran into you
Tell the people that you saw me passin' through