The Glened is a celebration running over the course of ten days and nine nights in which my two favourite troubadours - Glen and Ed the Ved ('ETV' aka Eddie Vedder) - delight crowds across Europe with their acoustic magnificence.
I can claim credit for the creation of the concept of 'The Glened' but really it's just some tongue in cheek fun to get people excited and involved in this short tour. Very limited edition t- shirts and badges were available and a heap of people brought their enthusiasm and love of music along to the benefit of everyone!!!
This is the first time that Glen and ETV have toured together in Europe and given my experience at the US shows last year I am pretty darn excited because I know just how good these two are together.
Everything kicks off in Amsterdam with a solo show that Glen has slotted in before Ed's first scheduled show. I arrive in the late afternoon to a gorgeous day of sunshine where bodies are strewn across canals and the mood is buoyant.
Tonight's show is at De Duif and I am eagerly awaiting my entry into the venue as I am told by my Dutchies (read 'my good Dutch mates') that it is an acoustic dream. There are plenty of people clad in Frames and Swell Season t-shirts outside for the doors opening - which is a sign of the esteem which Glen has built up in the Netherlands over many years.
I am not disappointed with the venue - it's stunning and intimate and absolutely perfect for the kind of show Glen excels at putting on.
The opener tonight is Glen's mate from Dublin - Ollie Cole. Ollie actually opened for Glen last year at his Bitterzoet show and he intimates that he is delighted to be back sharing in the sunshine (which is a first for him in Amsterdam!). Ollie mixes his set up with both old and new songs. The audience happily participate as 'wolves' for Ollie's song Howl and the relaxed and respectful feel to proceedings bodes well for a terrific night with Glen.
Ollie aptly ends his set with a song which I think should be the English summer anthem - When Will We Ever See the Sun? Great stuff!
Glen takes to the stage only fifteen or so minutes after Ollie. The church is packed - there are people sitting in chairs, on the floor, on benches - essentially anything that is around. Glen decides first to head to the piano and has to ask two audience members to 'borrow' the piano seat they are sitting on so he can play! As always, Glen is amongst everyone early on and it's just how we like it.
Glen doesn't often display his chops on the piano (I suppose it is hard to detach him from The Horse!), but this track from Rhythm and Repose (R & R) is a fine example of the diverse way Glen can go about creating a song. It's soulful and not overly complicated by other instruments or parts. There's a certain sense of equality between performer and audience when Glen is in such close proximity - It's one of those innate qualities that Glen seems to exude effortlessly.
Glen then moves on to another instrument that he has previously not given much time to - the ukelele. Pennies in the Fountain apparently 'fell' out of the uke the day he bought it (in response to wanting to 'fit in' with ETV's Ukelele Songs tour last year). It's a gorgeous tune which missed out on a spot on R & R but remains in Glen's live setlist. I'm not exactly sure what kind of sacrifices Glen is making to his muse in order to allow such songs to 'fall out' of his instruments but whatever he is doing, it's working. Let's just hope that Glen hasn't been down to the crossroads!!
Glen gets his loop on next with Talkin With the Wolves - add in some recorded beats on guitar, some screaming into the Horse's pick-up and a tune about some people who rely a little too much on their tarots/omens/lucky 8 balls and you've got yourself a right buzzin number!
Next I get to hear one I haven't heard before - Friend/Enemy. Glen introduces it as one he never finished - but it sounds pretty near finished in terms of its intent to me! I later find out that it's an oldie that has been kicking around in the ether for a while.
Love Don't Leave Me Waiting (LDLMW) brings with it a great story. Apparently Glen found himself in Amsterdam with a righteous hangover and a wish to see Jimmy Cliff after seeing his gig poster outside a venue he walked past. A dubious and crafty tout talked Glen into a €50 ticket to this 'sold out' show only for Glen to find out after entering that not only was the show not sold out, but Jimmy Cliff was not even performing! Instead Glen was treated to reggae band, Morgan Heritage (who were according to Glen worth the €50!). LDLMW is later dedicated to both reggae artists and we are treated to a tag of Many Rivers To Cross in their honour.
A further tag of Marvin Gaye's Sexual Healing in Low Rising brings out the Irish Catholic guilt in Glen, and he comments that non- Catholic churches seem to be a lot more open to gigs such as his within their walls - his explanation for this is that the Catholic church has only one singer - being JC - and they are not generally amenable to others providing musical entertainment in a sacred space. I am not of any denomination but I have to say I find myself thinking about how music is my religion more than once throughout this show.
Swell Season number Feeling the Pull is next, followed by my stand- out track from R & R - Bird of Sorrow. As on other occasions, I find myself in tears during this song. I'm pretty sure everyone can relate to the song's intent and purpose on some level even if you aren't one of the three subjects of the songs - which Glen says are: Ireland, someone close to him (his Ma) and himself (as all songs are by the person who wrote them). I cannot see the effect of this song waning for me anytime soon.
Typically gregarious, Glen then shares his bottle of wine with some lucky audience members at the front. Given the location, he is quickly asked whether he has any bread to dish out and Glen jokes that he doesn't, but he promises that he's made the said wine into an endless bottle.
The next tune is not in Glen's regular setlist, but given our location it is not a surprise. Mic Christopher is always on Glen's mind whenever he is in the Netherlands, and there's no better tribute than to pull out one of Mic's own tunes about friendship. 'Friends' by The Mary Janes is from their album Sham which I was put on to by a dear Frames mate last year. It's a cracker of a record and I encourage anyone who hasn't checked it out to head straight to Itunes for a download. It's a great addition to any Irish music collection you have.
We are dealt a trio of Glen 'classics' next - Finally, Leave and Astral Weeks. The latter seemingly now being part of Glen's DNA. The 'Smile' tag delights a good number of Pearl Jam fans in the crowd (myself included). I think seeing Glen perform that song with the band at PJ20 last year is one of my all time musical highlights.
After Glen's 'Beware Celebrity' uke ditty, Come Away to the Water, he asks after the people sitting on the floor in De Duif. As always, he is concerned that people are comfortable and he invites those on the concrete floor to come and sit on the step in front of the stage for a change. A number of people take Glen up on his offer and I think that their church-hardened butts thank him for it!
An invitation is then extended to the whole audience to provide backing vocals for Backbroke. Glen wants us to sound like a 'Russian choir standing on a cloud over a battlefield' - it's not a picture I've ever had in my mind but hey let's give it a go!
When your Mind's Made Up and Say It To Me Now/Gold (off mic) round out the main set. As he often does Glen brings out his opener (Ollie) for a tune to kick off the encore. Glen adds guitar and backing vocal to 'Magnolia' penned by Ollie for his fiancé Claire - who is briefly brought out and introduced to us.
Another first for me tonight is hearing Glen's cover of the Pixies' tune Cactus. This has been on my wish list for a while and although it's been played by Glen often I have always managed to miss it. Favourite lyric check:
"I miss your soup and I miss your bread
And a letter in your writing doesn't mean you're not dead"
A Levon moment is next. Glen seems to have reservations about attempting 'The Night They Drive Old Dixie Down' by himself, but the audience helps out and it sounds good. The penultimate tune for the night is the lynchpin of R & R - The Song of Good Hope. Glen describes this song as having come to him like a visitation, and I refer to my previous comments regarding muse sacrifices in its regard. This arrow of intent is truly moving and I know my good friend (and Glened collaborator) Dan is beside himself to hear it. As I am sure most music junkies will agree, a lot of the time it takes seeing the effect of a song on another person to comprehend just how good it is.
So, here I am thinking that the night just can't get any better - how wrong I am! The final song of the evening is a cover of Bruce Springsteen's Drive All Night. Glen recalls being in awe of the Boss at his recent Dublin show, and acknowledges the high watermark left by him in terms of live performance. Part way through the song Glen suggests that it could really do with some piano, and he asks if there is anyone in the audience who could help him out. Chris from Germany puts his hand up, sits down at the piano, confirms the chord structure with Glen and then proceeds to absolutely nail the accompaniment - it's an amazing turn of events and something that could only happen as a result of Glen's absolute benevolence as a performer. A friend of Glen's in attendance (Ross) is also called upon to fire up the church organ upstairs and soon we have a complete track of instruments alongside Glen's stirring rendition of this Bruce classic - I have to pinch myself to confirm that I am actually witnessing this! This is what intimate, live performances should be all about - my awe now matches that of Glen's to Bruce.
Drive All Night melds into Parting Glass and we finally all raise our glasses in thanks for a mind-blowing, face-melting, heart string - tugging show.
Groetjes Glen!
Setlist:
Ollie Cole
Helium Heart
Howl
Like a Gull
Too Beat
Sweet Songs (new)
When Will We Ever See the Sun?
Glen Hansard
The Storm, It's Coming
Pennies in the Fountain
Talking With the Wolves
Friend/Enemy
Love Don't Leave Me Waiting - Many Rivers to Cross (Jimmy Cliff)
Low Rising - Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye)
Felling the Pull
Bird of Sorrow
Friends (The Mary Janes)
Finally
Leave
Astral Weeks(Van Morrison) - Smile (Pearl Jam)
Come Away to the Water
Backbroke
When Your Mind's Made Up
Say it To Me No/ Gold (Interference)
Magnolia (All of the Time) (with Ollie Cole)
Cactus (The Pixies)
The NIght They Drove Old Dixie Down (The Band)
Song of Good Hope
Drive All Night (Bruce Springsteen) - The Parting Glass (Traditional)
Further info available from Order in the Sound here:
http://www.orderinthesound.com/24-july-2012-amsterdam-nl-de-duif-church
More pics here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59794835@N00/sets/72157630804800002/
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