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Last night was the second of three sold out Swell Season shows at Chicago’s aptly named Chicago Theatre. Action-Squad’s fivecoat and I were in attendance, and had our hearts melted many times over.

A little backstory: I really like the Frames, the Irish rock and roll band that Glen Hansard has fronted since the ’90s. And I quite liked the film Once and its soundtrack, which almost exclusively features the Swell Season. Going into the show, I wasn’t sure what to expect. As a band, the Swell Season really only has the soundtrack and one previous release to draw upon, and a lot of the songs are the same on both (note to Benom: I see that “The Moon” song you liked is on the first Swell Season album). And I’ve listened to the soundtrack so many times that I didn’t really just want to hear them play every track and call it a night.

They did not. Of the first 6 or so songs they played, I think I knew 2. I’m not sure if the rest were from the first SS album or old Frames tunes or new songs, but they all sounded great. The appropriately but uncharactaristically subdued Frames (with a new drummer) were the backing band, and the sound in the Chicago Theatre is amazing, so even though a lot of the material was new to me, they had no problem holding my attention. I should not that it was also the most gracious crowd I’ve ever seen. The opening act (Daniel Martin Moore, album out on Sub Pop in Oct, good stuff) got a standing ovation. You can imagine how much they ate up the main act.

Highlights included covers of Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic” and a Tim Buckley song whose name I don’t know, and well as a sitting in front of the monitors, completely mic-less “Say It To Me Now,” and the Frames standards “Fitzcaraldo” and “Star Star.” Marketa also played “The Hill,” and said it was her first time playing it live.

I used to think that there could be no frontman as charming as Fran Healey from Travis. I was wrong. Glen Hansard is one charming sumbitch, and his stage banter, although lengthy, was great. In what had to be the cutest thing that’s ever happened in recorded history, an audience member requested “Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy,” which is supposed to be an ad libbed little half-song in the movie. I didn’t expect them to play it, but Glen asked “Is Ethan here?” and a little kid’s voice in the balcony responded in the affirmative. Glen asked if he’d come down and sing it, and then explained that he had been forwarded a YouTube video of a kid singing the song. He eventually found out the kid lived in Chicago and they met and exchanged emails. Ethan told Glen he would be at the show, so when the song was requested Glen thought he’d just have Ethan sing it. Ethan eventually got up to the stage and despite admitting to not remembering the words, got through it quite nicely and was of course rewarded with thunderous applause.

This was one of those shows that wasn’t just a great musical performance, it was a great and extremely memorable evening. It was a happening. It a two-hour warm fuzzy, except for the parts where you wanted to cry. It was the 70 year old woman sitting with her children and grandchildren in the row in front of us politely turning around to shush the drunk woman next to us when she was talking through the opener. It was the same drunk lady dropping her cell phone, buying fivecoat a drink for picking it up for her, and then spilling her own drink. It was a chance to hear stories about Irish ghosts and Oscar statues. It was lovely. And best of all, the whole show is going to be available as a download for a mere pittance. Thanks Internets!

photo by Karashunshi from the 6/15 show

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