Nugent Family

Melissa and I celebrated our 8th anniversary this week. We went to a fabulous pizzeria in downtown Phoenix called Cibo. We had the salsiccia (sausage) which was cooked in a wood-fired oven with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes. Absolutely delicious! After that we headed to our concert for the evening. This was one of the best shows I have ever seen.

A little background before I talk about the show. I was introduced to The Frames, an Irish band from Dublin, about 4 years ago and have been hooked on them since. I wish I knew them sooner. Anyways, the lead singer, Glen Hansard, has delved into a side project with a girl from the Czech Republic, Marketa Irglova. Their project became the musical album The Swell Season. The album is endearing, intimate, peaceful, and at times appropriately melancholy. If you listen to it, you will want more. After their collaborative music project they went on to make an independent film inspired by their Swell Season album effort. The movie is titled, Once  and the soundtrack of the movie is absolutely brilliant and the track, Falling Slowly, won an Oscar for best original song. Anyways, on to the concert.

The concert was held at the Orpheum Theater, a venue in downtown Phoenix that I had never been at before. The Orpheum Theater was the perfect setting for the evening’s performance. The tickets I purchased had not listed any opening act. To our surprise at about 7:40pm, out walked Joey Burns, lead singer of Calexico. He was accompanied by John Convertino, Calexico’s drummer, and they did an amazing 7-8 song set. Melissa and I were ecstatic. The band is from Tucson, AZ. The best I could do to describe them is that their music expresses the mysteries of the southwest desert. It was a pleasant surprise.

Around 9pm, at least I think that was the time, Glen Hansard walked out to the stage, receiving cheers and applause, and soon the audience became dead silent. He proceeded to open with the song Say it Now, and delivered it with intense emotion. No microphone, no plug in. Just the bare sound of his acoustic, brand new guitar. If you have seen Glen perform, you may have noticed his beaten-up, seasoned guitar. He did not have it this evening. He said it was in the hospital and that it was the first time in 10 years that he hasn’t played with it in a gig. After his solo opener, Marketa Irglova, joined him on stage and continued with the unplugged flow singing a Van Morrison cover, Into the Mystic.

The next several songs were accompanied by Glen’s band-mates from the Frames, for full ensemble performances of Lies, When Your Mind’s Made Up, Drown Out, and more. Now, having been to Ireland, I have known and met many Irish folk that have the gift of gab and story-telling. Glen is no different, and no stranger to humor, rambling, and fantastic story-telling, of course, in his own humble manner. Some of the background developments of his songs are just too fantastic to retell, such as the back stories of Lay Me Down, Drown Out, What Happens When The Heart Just Stops, This Low and Fitzcarraldo to name a few. The audience and myself included, thoroughly enjoyed these ramblings as it connected us more deeply to the music. The evening was wonderful, engaging, and fun.

I know that Glen’s band, The Frames, has struggled for years to get more American acceptance, and I am very thrilled to see his success with Once and The Swell Season. I hope this will expose their music as it is really something worth listening to and including in your collection. My favorite song of the night was from the Frame’s catalogue, Fitzcarraldo, inspired by the same titled movie. Normally, you have the full set of electric guitars and drums when the Frames play it, but this arrangement included Marketa’s amazing piano playing, absolutely beautiful. The Orpheum Theater was the perfect venue for this intimate act. Check out their tour dates to see if they are coming near you, you don’t want to miss them!

So, it was a great, rare, middle of the weeknight date for Melissa and I. We had a great time and she was sure a trooper having to get around on crutches! Good food, great music, and the absolutely best companion to enjoy it with. 

The Swell Season and Calexico Set Lists
Wednesday, April 23rd
Orpheum Theater, Phoenix, AZ

Here is the inaccurate and incomplete set list for both bands to the best of my memory. If anyone stumbles upon this post that was at the performance, feel free to make corrections. Thanks. Calexico’s set list has been corrected according to their website: http://casadecalexico.com/setlists/ The Swell Season’s set list is also now accurate.

Calexico

1. Above The Branch
2. Sunken Waltz
3. Slowness
4. Wash
5. Man Made Lake
6. Gilbert
7. Not Even Stevie Nicks…
8. All The Pretty Horses

The Swell Season

1. Say it Now
2. Into the Mystic (Van Morrison Cover)
3. Lies
4. This Low
5. Drown Out
6. When Your Mind’s Made Up
7. Fantasy Man
8. Falling Slowly
9. Leave
10. What Happens When the Heart Just Stops
11. Lay Me Down
12. Fogtown (Michelle Shocked Cover)
13. Once
14. If You Want Me
15. Blue Shoes (Colm violin solo)
16. Fitzcarraldo
17. Star, Star