28 September 2019 // Dana Point, CA // Ohana Festival

Main Set: This Gift, The Closing Door, My Little Ruin – When Your Mind’s Made Up, I’ll Be You, Be Me, Way Back in the Way Back When – This Land is Your Land (Woody Guthrie), Smile (with Eddie), High Hope – America (Simon & Garfunkel)

With Eddie on vocals, during his set: Song of Good Hope, Black, Society, Hard Sun (with Kelly Slater)

Band: Glen Hansard (guitar, piano), Javier Mas (guitar), Joseph Doyle (bass), Rob Bochnik (guitar, bouzouki), Earl Harvin (drums), Romy (piano), Michael Buckley (saxophone, flute, mellotron)

Photos: mxdwn

Review by Courtney: Glen starts his set with a raucous solo version of ‘This Gift,’ reeling in the casual, daytime crowd with a swift attack. The band joins him on stage as he dedicates ‘The Closing Door’ to Greta Thunberg, and a photo of the activist with President Obama appears on the screen behind them. Glen shrugs his guitar behind his back, pointing, turning the moment over to her. The sociopolitical theme continues with a eloquent introduction to ‘Way Back in the Way Back When,’ which includes the statement, “If you’re going to talk about immigration, you have to talk about all immigration,” the acknowledgement of those brought to America against their will, and a dedication to anyone who came to California with the hope of a better life. As he launches into ‘This Land is Your Land’ and a cheer arises at the mention of California, one can’t help but think of those indigenous to the area.

Eddie Vedder runs on stage to take over vocals as the band crashes into Pearl Jam’s ‘Smile.’ It is a supremely joyous performance, and a testament to the power of music that the Irish, Americans, and Spanish on stage, and the entire audience, of mixed origins and beliefs, are all united for a moment bellowing, “I MISS YOU ALREADY!” “Glen Hansard… and the Whistleblowers!” Eddie introduces before ducking off, causing much laughter.

At the end of ‘High Hope,’ Glen slips in a few lines of Paul Simon’s ‘America,’ brilliantly tying together and capping off the set.

Glen’s invited back several times by Eddie at the end of the night, first to play Eddie’s Stratocaster on ‘Black’ alongside the Red Limo Quartet. Eddie paces the front of the stage, lifting an arm toward the ocean, then circles behind Glen, touching his shoulder as he sings, “We belong together.” Equally emotional is his vocal on ‘Song of Good Hope’ with Glen accompanying him on acoustic guitar. Glen takes a verse of ‘Society,’ and then he, Ruth, Kelly Slater, and Ed’s mother join in for ‘Hard Sun.’ ‘Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World’ is particularly fun, with Brendan Canty on tambourine, Glen half playing the harmonium, and Joe on bass. Glen motions for a pal’s Wonder Woman glasses to be tossed from the crowd, and plants them on Joe’s face. Rok.

Video:

I’ll Be You, Be Me (by Vinyl Villains)