What do you do when the world seems destined for disaster but you still want to live in the moment?
You write songs about how it would all end, like Hozier.
But the Irish singer/songwriter wasn't all doom and gloom during his sold-out performance on Friday night at the South Side Ballroom in Dallas. Although he's touring in support of his aptly named sophomore record, Wasteland, Baby!, an album focused on the gorgeous tragedies of romance and infatuation, Hozier was warm and charismatic. His booming vocals bounced off the walls in opening number, "Would That I," and commanded the attention his band deserved.
His strapping voice has always dominated his music, but the effect is a staggering experience in person. In the gospel power ballad, "Nina Cried Power," his pleading tone and scaling, white-knuckled notes hit with the force of a tsunami and matched the compelling and rebellious lyrics. The equalizing strength of his vocals and the goosebump-inducing harmonies from his band enhanced his potent delivery and made the experience a full-bodied one.
Hozier treated fans to an inside look into his music by sharing the inspiration and themes of many of his newest tracks. For "Wasteland, Baby!" and "No Plan," he said he wanted to write a few love songs for the end of the world. He doesn't dance around the gloominess in "No Plan", instead he aims for the heart with beautiful moments of devastation and joy: "There's no plan, there's no kingdom to come. I'll be your man if you got love to get done."
Turns out Hozier is a hopeless but dismal romantic who showcases his obsession with the melancholy in poetic prose. This somber theme added a compelling weight to his mix of rock and bluesy soul, and split the emphasis between the stories he was telling and the instruments that were telling them. He leveraged the diversity of instruments onstage, bouncing between a solo acoustic for a soothing version of "From Eden," and whining electric riffs in "Someone New."
The crowd kept up with every beat, echoing lines like they were their own, chanting and encouraging him. Even with mellow moments tucked into the set, a majority of the evening was rambunctious in spirit and was spent celebrating Hozier's lyrical wonderland. "To Be Alone" was a show-stopping preface to the encore: The thunderous kick drum and start-and-stop chorus featured dramatic pauses that electrified the audience. Hozier led the charge with swagger that emulated out of every robust note. He was more than capable of hitting the rafter-reaching verses and didn't hold back when the time came.
Instead of ending on a heart-racing tone, he opted to close with a whisper. Performing fan favorite "Cherry Wine" with just his guitar and a dark, empty stage, the bustling venue simmered to a lull and quietly sang along. It was somber and satisfyingly soulful - two traits he's come to master over the last five years.
Although Hozier's wasteland can be quite gloomy, it's also a vivid approach to handling love and all of its twisted effects. Even though his aesthetic is inspired by a world-ending narrative, his weekend performance was a thriving display of versatility and artistry.
