Shows, concerts, gigs, performances, or what-have-you, the terms are interchangeable for the most part. Here at DWD, we hope to tell readers all about some of the shows we’ll go to in the future. This is the first of many to come.

Last week, The Swell Season came to Toronto’s Massey Hall for one of their very few Canadian stops on their North American leg in support of the recent release, Strict Joy–which was wonderfully reviewed by Cayley here on DWD.

Massey Hall couldn’t have been a more perfect venue for The Swell Season. Generally Massey holds shows that are more acoustic based (with the exception of some such as Sigur Ros, for example), or better suit a sitting audience.

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova fittingly started the show with the quiet minimalist song from Once, “Fallen From the Sky”, which consisted of the two kneeling centre stage with only the tiny keyboard and a guitar. It was cute and playful, and only regrettably made me remember how the two are not a couple any more. A fact that didn’t show throughout the concert at all so at least on the outside they still can make the music work without their personal stuff interfering.

The most pleasant thing about seeing The Swell Season though, was the charisma Hansard has on stage. Almost immediately he had the audience attached to his every word. Nobody spoke out of turn, and the whole Hall was busting a gut along with me as the jokes just kept on coming. Hansard mentioned later on in the show how he’s been with The Frames (who were actually the back up band for this show) for something like 20 years. So he’s been performing on stages for about the same time that I’ve been learning about the world and growing? You’d better be damn good on stage, and Hansard didn’t disappoint.

Regarding the set list, I remember a statement Sean once made a while ago. The best time to see a band/artist is after they’ve released two albums. It’s the perfect amount of material for a decent hour and a half show. This theory held true for The Swell Season. Yes, there are technically three albums under their belt, but many songs repeated between the first two, and some on the soundtrack weren’t this particular band or it’s members. Basically, all the songs you like from their catalogue were played, all the slow ones, all the lonely guitar songs with just Hansard, and even the several with Irglova leading the pack. With a 2-hour set, and a four-song encore, this show was well worth the money to pay for a Massey Hall show.

Thing is, The Swell Season makes music you can relate to. The lyrics are personal but universal. The songs about love make me translate them to my life–if you’ve ever had a nasty break-up, songs like “Lies” or “Leave” are for you. I found myself getting tingles more often than I have at any other show. The dynamics of Irglova and Hansard, with their harmonies, lyrics, and playful personas on stage worked so well that I understood their fame goes way beyond a movie they released a couple years ago. They would not still have success if they didn’t have the skill as a band to perform.

Over all, I was incredibly happy with this show and would recommend any fan (and even casual listeners) to see them the next chance they get. It’s well worth it.

In the words of a man during the concert, “Play whatever you want!” I’ll accept what the pair gives me with an open mind and listen again and again because they know what they’re doing more than anyone else can tell them.