I first saw The Swell Season at the Lincoln Theater, somewhere around 2006, singing their songs as a duo while Damien Rice (the headliner) swayed on the ground behind them. My roommate, Nick and I, had listened to the album since it’d come out earlier in the year.
We knew the songs, but we didn’t know the songs.
I bought the album the day it came out on April that year. Spring swelling, I hitched a ride to my allergist’s office to get a shot to become less allergic. I sat in the waiting room dutifully, sitting with my friend to see how my body withstood its newest onslaught. 45 minutes, an inspection, and a leaving.
On the way back to our university, we stopped at the only CD shop we knew would have The Swell Season’s album, buying it as a gift for my roommate. I felt myself itching madly as I went to the register, and as we got to the car, I asked my friend to look at my back. His eyes widened, and I realized my body had turned red, nearly all over. On the advice of my doctor, I found the nearest pharmacy and took a triple dose of Benadryl.
We popped on the album and I slowly entered a fevered fugue state, losing my mind while finding the songs. I remember nearly nothing concrete from the rest of the day, but I know it burned the songs into my soul. I still sing them, even without singing.
The Swell Season, Glen Hansard, The Frames, Marketa Irglova – all of these musical windows have helped me see through the walls of my mind into a world more beautiful than I’d known before. To get to sit, stand, and dance with Glen and Marketa and their band last night was a gift that’ll thread the light between my heart and my soul for a long, long time.
They covered their oeuvre well, with each playing songs from their solo careers, as well as adding a few Frames songs, including an impromptu attempt at “Song for Someone” and a positively riveting rendition of “Fitzcarraldo”.
The setlist is included below, along with a selection of photos.
