An Unforgettable Night of Music at Downtown LA’s Walt Disney Concert Hall Thanks to the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Musician GLEN HANSARD!

Singer-songwriter Glen Hansard (The Swell Season & The Frames) and star of the Oscar-winning film “Once” and its Tony Award-winning musical adaptation recently performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall (Downtown Los Angeles) for two nights of soul-stirring melodies and

raw emotion. For the Sunday (March 11th) concert, Hansard was joined by the prestigious Los Angeles Philharmonic which were led by conductor David Campbell. 

Promoting his latest third studio album titled “Between Two Shores” (released on January 19th via Anti Records), this very special evening was a master class in incredible musicianship. Glen’s new collection follows his 2015 GRAMMY nominated “Didn’t He Ramble,” and his 2012 solo debut “Rhythm and Repose.” (All albums are available now via major streaming services and retailers including Amazon, Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music along with his website, GlenHansard.com.)

The show was broken into two parts; the first hour was with the 68 talented musicians that make up the LA Philharmonic and the second hour saw the artist perform with a four-piece band. Each part was sonically breathtaking and truly a listening pleasure for all.

However, there really is nothing quite like hearing Hansard play with a full orchestra backing him up. They provided such an intense cinematic grandeur to each song. Glen himself seemed at times seemed overwhelmed that it was happening and continued to thank all of the musicians for being there and playing with him.

“I can’t describe what an incredible feeling it is to be driving in this big beautiful car! When the idea first came up I was so terrified and hugely excited.” the musician explained to the audience.

Glen opened Sunday’s show with a track off his 2015 collection, “Didn’t He Ramble” entitled “Grace Beneath The Pines.” He followed this up with a couple songs off the “Once” soundtrack including “Lies” and “When Your Mind’s Made Up.” Later on, he also sang the 2007 Oscar winner for Best Original Song, “Falling Slowly,” from the same collection.

Song after song, Hansard and the orchestra effortlessly soared and roared through melodies. The Irishman is a pro at swiftly transitioning from delicate and soft moments of numbers to more frenzied and fierce parts. His voice resonated through the entire venue and brought chills to everyone in attendance. Other songs that were heard during this half were “Bird Of Sorrow,” “Song Of Good Hope,” “Her Mercy” and ended with the beautiful “This Gift.” 

Once the orchestra left during the intermission, it was time for Glen and his band for the weekend; pianist Romy, bassist Joe Doyle, legendary musician Javier Was and trumpeter Stewart Cole to take the stage. They opened the set with the only song played from Hansard’s new album, “Time Will Be The Healer.” From there, they moved onto “Winning Streak,” “Way Back in The Way Back When,” “Wedding Ring,” “Star Star,” “Little Ruin” and a cover of Woody Guthrie’s “Vigilante Man.” Hansard’s version of the track was quite a bit more politically charged and contained lyrics that pertained to Donald Trump’s bigotries. The audience continued to laugh and applaud throughout this rousing number.

Further on in the show, Glen welcomed his friend and fellow musician, Joe Henry (this writer had been sitting next to him for the entire show up until this point) to the stage to perform his song “Keep Us In Song.” He shared the story of how he wrote this track in London the night after Trump won the presidential election.

To wrap up the evening, Hansard and his band stood at the edge of the stage, much closer to the audience and performed an acoustic version of “Passing Through.” They invited a few musical friends from the front row to join them and each of them were given a verse to sing. It was the perfect ending to an absolutely unforgettable night of music full of numerous standing ovations and thunderous applause.

Glen Hansard U.S. Tour Dates:

3/14 Boulder, CA         Boulder Theatre – Sold Out

3/15 Kansas City, MO    The Truman

3/17 St. Paul, MN         The Palace Theatre

3/18 Chicago, IL          Riviera Theatre

3/20 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre

3/21 Toronto, ON        Danforth Music Hall – Sold Out

3/23 Boston, MA       House of Blues

3/24 Washington DC     The Anthem

3/25 Philadelphia, PA     Union Transfer – Sold Out

For more information on Glen Hansard, please visit: www.GlenHansard.com and www.Anti.com.

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