How Glen Hansard turned intimate gigs into arena epics without losing his personal touch
The Sligo Champion“Is it true?” The first text message regarding the tragic death of Glen Hansard last Wednesday morning caught me off guard and days later the reality of the loss of one of the country’s best loved entertainers is still sinking in.
I was lucky enough to see Glen perform on countless occasions. Whether it was with The Frames, The Swell Season or his legendary solo shows, a night with Glen and his music was an unmistakable experience. Over the years I saw him perform close to 100 times from pubs to arenas and from palatial halls to festival fields and it was always an experience seeing him in full flow.
From Taibhdhearc na Gaillaimhe to the Koninklijk Theater Carré in Amsterdam and the Anfiteatro del Vittoriale in Lake Garda via every imaginable venue in Ireland including McGarrigles, The Hawk’s Well and the Knocknarea Arena, there was an unmistakable magic in the air when Hansard and his companions took to the stage.
From the days of the crowds being small enough for Glen to feel as though he knew everyone in the room, he somehow managed to bring the same level of intimacy to some of the biggest stages imaginable.
From the first time I saw him take to the stage with The Frames, over a quarter of a century ago, there has been a yearning for the next performance. As well as his own incredible back catalogue of material, he had an amazing ability to introduce his listeners to new material.
Whether that was by introducing the next generation of talented Irish musicians and singers to share a stage or by throwing his bandmates a curve ball and breaking into classics from everyone from Sonic Youth and The Pixies to Bruce Springsteen and U2, not to mention his covers of Bob Dylan and Van Morrisson.
On one occasion in Galway, way back when people used to physically queue for tickets to big events rather than try their luck online, my brother, Michael, took a break from our resting point on Galway’s Shop Street in search of coffee to get us through the night.
On his travels he bumped into Glen who had performed earlier that day when The Frames performed at the official opening of the newly opened HMV store.
With a guitar slung over Glen’s shoulder, Michael asked if he was playing a gig locally. ‘Yeah, do you want me to stick you on the guest list’ was the immediate reply. Michael came back to find me and we left our bags beside the legion of U2 fans from across the world who were spending the night on Shop Street to secure tickets for a Croke Park concert.
I’d be lying if I was to say it was the best gig I ever saw Glen and The Frames play, but it was one of the most memorable. Knowing that he would be performing to a bunch of ‘industry heads’ Glen had made it his business to find anyone he could who were fans of the band and invited them to the private show.
Ultimately those were the only ones that paid attention as the ‘industry heads’ talked their way through the performance.
Once the show was over Glen mingled and was more interested than I expected when I told him we were spending the night queuing for tickets to see U2 in Croke Park.
At the time, Today FM were compiling a CD of Irish bands covering the songs of U2 and The Frames had just a few days earlier recorded their version of ‘40’.
With my tail between my legs I told Glen I wasn’t familiar with that song and he immediately leaned forward and to ensure the loud background music didn’t drown him out, he sang a verse of the song into my ear.
It was surreal at the time, recalling that moment from over 20 years ago seems like such a special moment in time. That night was so surreal that Glen even introduced me to someone I knew from my childhood as our mothers had been close friends with one another!
Another Galway night that springs to mind was when Glen had put me on a guest list for a show. Speaking to him a few hours before he went on stage I chanced my luck and asked if I could bring two friends along.
Glen Hansard pictured with Philip Rooney (right) and his brother Michael.
The look on his face said, ‘you have got to be joking me’ but the words from his mouth were ‘yeah, we’ll work it.’ When we arrived at the venue, minutes before show time, the venue staff were less than impressed and suggested I phone Glen if I wanted to get my friends in.
As it was too late in the day to be annoying him about such matters, the staff phoned backstage and within seconds the tour manager, Fiacre, appeared. He promptly walked me and my friends outside the venue and said, ‘say nothing, keep walking’.
We walked around the back of The Black Box venue before Fiacre swung a kick in the direction of a door. The door immediately swung open and we found ourselves backstage. ‘Walk straight’ was the last bit of advice Fiacre gave us before we emerged in front of the stage.
Seconds later Glen arrived on stage, walked up to the mic and asked, ‘Is everybody in?’ before bursting into song. What followed over the next three hours was another unforgettable live performance.
Looking back at the nights in his company, they were always special. Whether blasting out the old Frames classics, giving new life to centuries old folk songs, road testing a new song he was working on or regaling his audience with stories about his songs or tales from the road, he was the ultimate performer.
I saw Glen perform for the final time earlier this year when he led The Frames onstage at the 3Arena for the Hotpress 50th anniversary celebrations. On a night in which the good and the great from Ireland’s incredible roster of talented performers graced the stage over a five hour period, it was hard to say The Frames didn’t steal the show.
Live performances were something of a rarity for The Frames in recent years with Glen’s career focussing more on his solo output. Even though the old favourites were still performed with legendary gusto wherever he found himself, there was always something different seeing him on stage with The Frames.
Revelate, Fitzacarraldo and Star Star were as fresh, as energetic and raw as they were the first time I heard them play live 25 years earlier.
Ticket stub from a Frames concert featuring Glen Hansard
Just a few months after the release of his two album career retrospective, Don’t Settle - Transmissions east and west, I thought there would be countless more gigs to bask in the talent and showmanship that Glen provided. It appeared as though those albums would act as a line in the sand with so much more still to come in the years ahead.
The tragic news that broke last Wednesday morning is still reverberating around the world. The man who entertained us for years with laughter and song is being remembered by Presidents and rock stars from the four corners of the globe while his heartbroken family and friends are left to come to terms with the most devastating news.
Those that knew him from the sidelines can only but be thankful for the music and the memories.
Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.