Winnipeg residents flocked to the Canada Life Centre on Tuesday night to pay tribute to Irish singer-songwriter Hozier, with some lining up as early as 9 a.m. to grab concert merchandise and a coveted spot in front of the stage, venue staff said.
By the time the doors opened, thousands of fans had lined up around the block, and inside the arena, excited roars and occasional cheers rang out long before the opening act took the stage. The sense of anticipation was palpable.
Hozier could provoke a sharp outpouring of cheers simply by walking slowly up to the microphone and running his hands through his chestnut hair.
Nick Adam / Free Press
Irish singer-songwriter Hozier will perform at the Canada Life Centre on Tuesday night.
He performed on a stage designed to resemble a dry, cracked riverbed, with his bandmates and backing singers seated on rock pedestals, and midway through the show, the stage was transformed into an underground cavern, with glittering tree roots growing from the ceiling.
Hozier — born Andrew Hozier Byrne — has risen and fallen throughout his anthemic catalog, opening with heavy cuts like “Eat Your Young” and “Nobody’s Soldier” and moving into more romantic territory with songs like “Like Real People Do” and “Sweet Music.”
Concert Review
Hosier
Allison Russell
Tuesday, August 20
Canada Life Centre
Number of visitors: 11,300
4 out of 5 stars
Unfortunately, the artist’s energy didn’t match the power of his music: He admitted early on that he wasn’t feeling well, and it showed: Wearing a cardigan over a white button-up shirt, he looked tired and performed with little to no expression.
Though his stage presence was low, his soaring voice still made an impression.
The crowd didn’t seem to mind, singing along to the catchy tunes and cheerily yelling “I love you” during the intermission. Many in the sold-out crowd were dressed as woodland creatures in flowing skirts, a clear indication that the artist’s musical connections are linked to TikTok’s cottagecore community.
Hozier has had a number of viral moments in his decade-spanning career, including his 2013 debut single “Take Me to Church.” The epic ballad about religious hypocrisy became a rallying cry for LGBTTQ+ fans and remains one of Spotify’s most streamed songs. Headliner Hozier reinvigorated himself a bit to belt out the song with a passionate rendition set to the original black-and-white music video.
Since then, Hozier has released three studio albums and several EPs (including last week’s Unaired EP), endearing himself to a new generation of listeners through his political statements, his likeable personality and his hits, old and new, popularized on social media.
Nick Adam / Free Press
Hozier’s 2013 debut single, “Take Me to Church,” remains one of Spotify’s most streamed songs.
His latest album, “Unreal Unearth,” released last year, features Irish lyrics and a narrative structure inspired by Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” showcasing the artist’s love of mythology.
Tuesday was a night of ups and downs, both thematically and literally, with the opening and headlining performances being interrupted several times to accommodate audience members needing medical attention, with performers quickly recovering after each event.
Allison Russell and her three-piece band kicked off their 50-minute opening set with hands-in-hand cheers before launching into “The Returner,” the evocative, jam-like title track from the album, which is a finalist for the 2023 Polaris Music Prize.
Dressed in a bright pink floor-length dress and alternating between banjo and clarinet, the Montreal-born singer-songwriter led the audience into the night with a combination of poetry and hand-clapped folk rock.
In between songs, Russell spoke of his excitement to be performing in Winnipeg (a planned visit in March was canceled due to weather) and called for a ceasefire in Gaza, both sentiments met with enthusiastic cheers.
Russell, who has opened for the band 33 times on the Unreal UnEarth tour, later returned to the stage to perform a duet with Hozier on the collaborative track “Wildflower and Barley.”
After a short encore, Hozier played an acoustic version of Cherry Wine, closed out his 90-minute set with some comments about political activism and a lengthy thank you speech, and finally brought Russell back for Work Horse, which got the show back on track after a rough start.
Strangely, Starr never made it to the second stage in the center of the floor.
eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com
X: @evawasney
Nick Adam / Free Press
Hozier’s show at the Canada Life Centre on Tuesday night was a promotion for his latest album, “Unreal Unearth,” which features lyrics in Irish.
Eva Wasney
Reporter
Eva Wasny has been a reporter in the Free Press’s arts & life section since 2019. Learn more about Eva here.
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