Saturday’s weather was wet and gloomy, but one would never guess that from the energy of the crowd in the Leader Bank Pavillion down by Boston Harbor. Decked out in raincoats and blankets, thousands of fans filed into their seats for Hozier’s second night in Boston as a part of his ongoing “Unreal Unearth” tour.
The Irish singer-songwriter, born Andrew Hozier-Byrne, has captured the ears of fans for a decade with his music, which draws inspiration from folk, soul and blues.
His third and most recent album, “Unreal Unearth,” was released Aug. 18. The album was born out of the pandemic and walks listeners through Dante’s nine circles of hell and out the other side. Hozier drew inspiration from his pandemic-era reading of Dante’s “Inferno” to create this album full of heartbreak and isolation, but also a light at the end of the metaphorical tunnel.
Madison Cunningham, a Los Angeles singer-songwriter and the tour’s opener, was, in many ways, the perfect warmup for the crowd — her music had a similar, almost haunting feeling to many of Hozier’s songs. Hozier called her one of the very talented musical minds of his generation.
Cunningham’s music is lesser known than Hozier’s, but the crowd warmed to her style and sound quickly. Her last song, “In From Japan,” showcased her lyrical prowess and wrapped up her set neatly.
What followed was almost two hours of sheer perfection.
Hozier entered on a dark stage, lit from behind by a powerful fragmented light and against a backdrop of pinpricks of light. The first notes of “De Selby (Part 1)” were enough to send the crowd into a frenzy. Hozier’s ethereal voice welcomed the crowd to his set, mesmerizing everyone in attendance. During the song’s outro, Hozier sings in Irish, a language he learned in school, for the first time on any of his albums.
“De Selby (Part 2)” naturally followed before Hozier played a crowd favorite, “Jackie and Wilson,” from his 2014 self-titled album. The first three songs set the tone for the rest of the evening: an expert balance of tunes with strong beats and more relaxed cuts with lilting melodies.
His eight-person band was spread out across the stage and each member was worthy of their own spotlight. Watching members interact and have what seemed like a genuinely fun time was a highlight of the concert.
The backdrop of the stage was also impressive and boasted countless graphics, live shots and lighting displays. During “Cherry Wine,” a huge sun-like orb was projected behind Hozier and waxed and waned in its entirety over the course of the song. This imagery appeared at other points in the concert, and every time, it added to the music in a new way.
During “Eat Your Young,” the backdrop was filled with explosions that dropped vegetables on a table. Though it was a confusing visual, it was an interesting way to engage with the song. The song, according to an interview Hozier did with Genius, is about sacrificing the future of others for the sake of short-term gain, as happens when “children become the ground for culture war for adults.”
The production team didn’t just stick to premade animations for the backdrop — they also expertly wove in live shots of the performers. One such occasion came during “Nina Cried Power,” a song originally recorded featuring Mavis Staples. Melissa McMillan stepped into Staples’ shoes and executed the song perfectly. The backdrop featured zoomed-in live shots of both Hozier and McMillan, allowing a great view from virtually anywhere in the venue.
Hozier is widely renowned for his lyrical talent and deeply metaphorical songs, but his guitar skills are not properly evident in recorded songs. His discography is widely varied and, as such, so was his concert. Over the course of the concert, there were at least 10 guitar handoffs between songs, often switching from acoustic to electric to match the upcoming song.
Near the end of the concert, Hozier played the last song on “Unreal Unearth,” called “First Light.” In the dramatic arc of the album, “First Light” represents the end of Dante’s odyssey. In concert, the uplifting song is accompanied by a gorgeous representation of a sunrise.
A Hozier concert wouldn’t be complete without “Take Me to Church,” his most popular song by far, with over two billion streams on Spotify. Here, the production crew wove footage from the song’s music video in with live shots of the performance, effectively remixing the visuals so many of his fans have grown to love. What resulted was a beautiful and incredibly engaging visual show. (The flames licking the bottom of the band’s risers were a nice touch, too.)
Plenty of Hozier’s songs elicit goosebumps or other physical reactions in their recorded formats, but that doesn’t compare to the live experience. Every minute of Hozier’s performance went above and beyond expectations and it was an unforgettable night of music.
Before leaving the stage for good, Hozier said he was looking forward to seeing Boston again, and it certainly seemed like the crowd couldn’t wait for that day either.
