Photos by Tim Dwenger
The Scene: The Ogden was jam packed well before the opener appeared on stage on Wednesday night. Well dressed, clean-cut, twenty-somethings dominated the crowd but a quick scan revealed some grey haired heads scattered about the room. It was clear that Hozier is making a mark on the mainstream and while I was at the bar I overheard a conversation about tickets for the sold-out show going for $120 on Colfax. To the guy’s credit, he didn’t buy the $120 ticket in favor of sending his friend, “who only knew ‘Take Me To Church’ anyway,” home. Apparently music in this town is more cut-throat than I though.
Opener: Asgeir. Icelandic song-smith Asgeir served up a brief, thirty minute, opening set on Wednesday night and while the sound of his trio was soothing and ambient leaning, it didn’t stick with me or cause me to really stand up and take notice. Midway through the set he took a moment to thank Hozier for having him on the tour and mentioned that “in Iceland, Hozier is very big and we have known about him for a long time.” Despite the fact that there was lots of talking around the jam packed room, the crowd did pause at the end of each song to show their respect for the twenty-two year old who has topped the charts in his home country.
Hozier: When the house lights went down and Andrew Hozier-Byrne emerged from the shadows, the crowd erupted in a deafening chorus of screams that conjured up images of what it must have been like when The Beatles took the stage for the Ed Sullivan show. Girls were swooning, guys were staring up in wonder, and nothing had even happened yet. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, my only exposure to Hozier had been while watching the Grammy’s a few weeks ago, but he turned my head then and, from the first notes of the opener “Angel of Small Death,” I understood why he is being fast-tracked to stardom. Simply put this guy has the raw talent that is sorely lacking in today’s Pop music. His voice raises goosebumps with eloquently written songs while his fingers dance on the guitar strings. It’s truly something worth witnessing live.
A few songs into the set Hozier introduced “Someone New” by saying “this song was tragically and appropriately co-written by an ex” and again the girls screamed and swooned but quieted down quickly when he started playing. The crowd was walking a fine line between vocal admiration and quiet respect and doing it well. The band left the stage for the stirring duet “In A Week” and a solo take on Skip James’ “Illinois Blues” and during these quieter moments of the show you could hear a pin drop as bluesy acoustic guitar and his powerful voice filled the room. When the band betrayed their Gospel influences on tracks like “Sedated” and “Like Real People Do” all eyes and ears were trained on the stage as the soaring harmonies of the background singers swirled around us.
As the set wound to a close, the crowd exploded when the haunting first notes of “Take Me To Church” filled the room. It was clear they had been waiting for this one and as the song built I was struck by just how “big” it sounded. The sound in the Ogden is always pretty good, but it was truly shining on Wednesday at the right time. The power of the song and the performers on stage were conveyed with a clarity that is burned into my mind.
It’s always a pleasant experience to walk into a show with minimal expectations and walk out amazed, and that is exactly what happened to me on Wednesday night. Sure Hozier’s Blues based sound has just a little too much of a polished-pop-sheen for me on a daily basis, but damn if it wasn’t simply mesmerizing live. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to be taken to church with Hozier as tickets for his August 2nd Red Rocks show are moving very quickly.
Energy: A+
Musicianship: A
Sound: A+
Stage Presence: B
Set/Light Show: B
Overall: A
+ There are no comments
Add yours