Me? An Op-Ed section editor using my section to enthuse about my interests for a thousand words? Never.
On Friday Sept. 22, I drove 5.5 hours up to Boston to see Hozier in his “Unreal, Unearth” album tour, and let me tell you it was worth every minute on the God-awful Merritt Parkway.
Friday was the first of two shows he played in Boston at the Leder Bank Pavilion; a large, tented outdoor amphitheater on the water. Could he be playing in full-on stadiums? Absolutely. But this venue fit the aesthetic of his music and his audience perfectly. Your average Hozier fan is going to be one or more of the following: an English Major, mentally ill, physically ill, Queer or a former emo teen. This group made for the chillest merch line you’ve ever seen in your life.
That said, we were absolutely not chill once The Bog Father stepped onstage. After a short, but very cool, set by opener Madison Cunningham, the opening chords to “De Selby (Part 1)”— the first track on the new album—ushered him and his eight-piece band out, and we all lost our collective mind. There wasn’t much time for that though, as he played straight through “De Selby” parts one and two before giving us any kind of introduction; all of one word spoken into the mic—“hello.” From there, he played two fan favorites from his self-titled first album back in 2014, “Jackie and Wilson,” and “From Eden.” Safe to say we were already pretty unwell.
After a slightly more substantial intro, in which he expressed his appreciation for Boston audiences in particular—the general populace of which would likely defect in a heartbeat if Ireland had any interest in claiming the city—he began the section that I would consider the horniest portion of the evening: “Francesca,” released as a single back in May, followed immediately by “To Be Alone” and “Dinner & Diatribes,” off his second album, “Wasteland, Baby.”
Graciously allowing us to collect ourselves after that lineup, he spent some time talking about the story of “I, Carrion (Icarian),” which he described as exploring Icarus’ fall from the sky if the feeling of falling had been so wonderful, that it left him in total denial of having died from it—anyone else feeling a little called out?
Hozier has always been one of few artists who is widely considered to be better live, and if it wasn’t already obvious from the rest of his set, the sound of his lilting tenor on “I, Carrion (Icarian),”’s rich and eerie melody proved it unequivocally (and also makes me wonder what his producer even does after he records).
And if we weren’t already crying after that, he introduced “Cherry Wine” as one of the first songs he wrote and recorded, and sealed our fate by saying, “if you know it, I’d love to hear you sing it.”
He gave us another moment to collect ourselves after that, explaining the inspiration behind track 11 on the new album, “To Someone From A Warm Climate (Uiscefhuaraithe).” He said he came across the Irish Gaelic word, “Uiscefhuaraithe” much later in his life, despite learning Gaelic all through school. It’s a compound word that describes (as he put it) the coldness we feel when we pick up a wet stone that our body is able to recognize is cold because it’s wet. This is not the only tribute to Gaelic on “Unreal, Unearth,” as it is featured at the end of “De Selby (Part 1)” as well as being the subject of “Butchered Tongue,” which was not part of the setlist. This moment of appreciation of the Irish language was especially meaningful in a place where so many people have an ancestral connection to the country, but very few lingering cultural ones. He even mentioned later in the show that he, “like all Irish people do,” had cousins in Boston who were there to see the show that night.
Next he returned to his second album, playing “Would That I,” and “Nina Cried Power,” which was originally recorded with Grammy-winning R&B and Gospel singer and civil rights activist, Mavis Staples. At this show, he featured Melissa McMillan (also on backup vocals and keys) on Staples’ part. “Someone New” was played next, and another band member, Kristen Rogers (vocals and percussion), was featured on “Damage Gets Done,” originally recorded for the new album with Brandi Carlile. It’s clear Hozier wants to prioritize the community aspect of his work, both in his willingness to feature other band members, and the fact that he tried to squeeze in individual thank-yous to as many of the 52 production team members as possible before the end of his set (often using their full names and where they were from).
“Almost (Sweet Music),” followed by “First Light” and “Eat Your Young” from the new album rounded out the setlist, finally ending with “Take Me to Church”—and let me tell you, take us to church he did. Hair loose, hand raised like a priest blessing his congregation, Hozier’s performance of the now ten-year-old song left us cheering for an empty stage for a solid five minutes.
And because he’s not one to disappoint, he returned for the Encore/aftercare we all very much needed, playing “Like Real People Do,” “Unknown/Nth” and ending on “Work Song.”
I would’ve happily stood and watched Andy (as the drunk guy sitting next to us called him) stand and sing on a completely bare stage, but thanks to lighting and projection designer Steven Douglas in collaboration with Drew (another nickname from the drunk guy next to us), the audience got to be in emotional pain from the auditory aspects as well as the visual. Clips of music videos, gorgeous sunrises and space-scapes, trees, feathers and captivating light patterns played behind the band throughout the performance, leaving viewers overstimulated but still wanting more.
We walked out of the Pavilion feeling like years had been put back on our lives; like suddenly we had nothing to talk about with our therapists that week. We walked through the streets of Boston with nothing to say but “wow.”
