— Glen Hansard —

The first time I saw Glen Hansard perform live was at the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco. After all of the many hundreds of shows I’ve seen, I don’t remember ever seeing anything quite like it.

He gave all of himself, for every second of every song he played, full stop. He was relentless and inexhaustible. This man was clearly in his calling and was enjoying playing so much that he wouldn’t leave the stage! The concert went on well past one in the morning as he showed no signs of relenting. His Irish soul, passion, committment, earnestness, and love for his art, was astounding. Every subsequent time I’ve seen him, I have witnessed the same level of intensity. This inspiration was no different for his set at 2024’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. You can certainly see it in the images. A deep bow.