Here starts a long list of belated blogs.  Today, getting to meet Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová.  If you don't care so much for the movie backstory and concert review or already know it, perhaps you'd best skip to the Stage Door bit - I did get a bit windy.

Wonderlust's Legacy Revisited
Fellow Redhedd Wonderlust, wherever she is now, mentioned to me this wonderful Irish movie, Once, shortly before she disappeared.  If you have not seen it yet, I highly suggest you do, as she did to me.  It was directed by Glen Hansard's former bassist of the Irish band The Frames, on a budget of about $160,000.  Fellow musician, Markéta Irglová and Glen are the stars in it and wrote and performed pretty much all the music in it.

Once
The film takes place over about one week, in Dublin, Ireland.  Glen, playing an unnamed Irish busker (just as he used to be), is trying to make his musical living on the streets of Dublin while living with and helping his dad in a vacuum repair shop.  One night, as he sings his more soulful songs, an unnamed Czech flower girl played by Markéta makes some inquiries that lead to an amazing friendship, romance, and musical partnership that only comes along once in a lifetime.  It's a beautiful time they have, and it is extra special in that in mirrors much of Glen and Mar's real life relationship in many ways.

The film is infused with their amazing songs all the way, making it quite possibly the musical film of this generation.  Glen & Markéta won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Song for the song "Falling Slowly." 

I especially enjoyed the story, as it does have quite a personal connection for me.

The Swell Season Concert
Well, after seeing the movie, I learned that The Swell Season - the combination of Glen, Markéta, and Glen's band The Frames - was coming to Columbus on September 22, so I just had to go.  Ended up getting front row tickets through the fan club.  Unfortunately, my friend got heat stroke that day, so it was just me, but it turned out to have a silver lining.

First, the show was pretty amazing.  The opening act, Bill Callahan, had quite mixed reactions.  I mostly enjoyed it, though maybe not my kind of thing.  But any disagreement was soon forgotten with Glen took stage.  He had to calm everyone down to tell them he met some mates from fellow Irish band Bell X-1 who were playing in the city at The Cellar that same night.  Some of them played a second rousing intro act before they went back to their gig!  It was great!

Finally, Glen takes the stage, unplugged and gets everyone calmed down.  He opens with the busking style full-length version of one of my favorite Once favorites from the movie's start, "Say It to Me Now."  It was amazing, and more touching then ever.

Mar and The Frames joined him on stage.  Before you knew it, they were getting ready to do their famous duet, "Falling Slowly."  Glen sits down with his beat-up guitair to the right of Mar, but realizes he is blocking the audience view, so gets up and sits on the left.  Then scooches closer, then closer, and snuggles right up to her.   The play and sing, and it's as beautiful as ever.

Through the course they visit some other of my favorites from the film, "When Your Mind's Made Up," "Lies," "Leave," and Markéta even does her solo of "The Hill" during the encore.  But getting the award song out of the way leaves them to perform the copious amount of great new stuff, as well as some covers.  Glen gets so into his version of obligatory Van Morrison in "Astral Weeks," he breaks a string.  A stage hand takes up the lead guitar position for a time to move from the Irish folk rock to cover some Black Sabbath so the drummer wouldn't go nuts.   Fiddler Colm McCauchey even did some of this stuff during an encore that just wouldn't quit!

And yes, there was quite an encore that just kept rocking.  Poor Mar, who I think was a little tired, opened up in that endearing Czech accent, "Now, I will play, and then the lights will come on, and it will be done."  But it was not meant to be as the rest soon joined her after her solo.

The Stage Door
So, I did have some success in my first attempt at stage dooring, so, without my friend along, I figured I'd at least take a peek around the back of the Palace Theatre.  I did buy her a poster and pin though.

There were maybe 20 people.  Some leaning more nonchalantly against the parking garage, fewer huddled by the stage door.  After a few minutes of being nonchalant, my newish assertiveness kicked in and I joined the fans by the stage door.  We met and got the autograph of the fiddler early on his smoke break, but from there we came to learn they'd be staying inside until the theatre staff kicked them out in two and a half hours, to drink a bit and socialize.

It really flew by though, an older couple had come from another state where the performance was marred by having drunks at a bar in the middle of the auditorium, and the band agreed with them in turn.  The other college-age couple were music majors from Toledo.  We worked it out ahead of time, swapping cameras and loaning my pen out so as to waste as little of Glen and Mar's time when they came.

We were lucky, sleepy Mar only autographed the first few of us.  But Glenn, he was his evidently typical socialable self.  I'm telling you, these people have not lost their roots and are so down-to-earth.  Glen even autographed my poster by name.  The lady of the couple next to me asked him some question, some problem she was having with a friend's friend or boyfriend.  He talked for a solid 10 minutes, trying to work out her problems and discussing outlooks on life.  At one point he calls over, "Hey Mar!  What's that book?"
"What book?" asks Mar.
"That book I'm reading."
"New Earth"
"Ah yes, New Earth,..." and continues on giving advice and encouragement.  There were still 10 people waiting for autographs, and some others were hoping to hit the road as well.  His tour manager finally steps in with a knowing smile, "Glen, people waiting, got to hit the road" or something of the sort.

So, to tie this into Redhedd.com.  If Glenn is not a redhead (which I'd say he is), he certainly has "Celtic curls."  His stage manager is a lady with absolute flaming red hair!  While Glen was wrapping up with my new friend, I finally said "what the heck?" and gave the stage manager one of the official Redhedd.com business cards I had.  She laughed and I told her about being at Roodharigendag just the two weeks prior, 2,000 redheads and the lot and gave her the address on one of my personal Redhedd business cards as well.  Looking at the name on the card, she says, "CelticCurls?  That's a better fit for Glenn!"



And with that, an end to a wonderful evening of music.  Here's hoping we see that stage manager or even Glen on here someday!

If you want to get an idea of what it was like, here's a sample from Toronto a few nights before, which was very similar (but go see them and see the film!).
Say It To Me Now

Tags: Glen Hansard Marketa Irglova Swell Season Once CelticCurls

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