Hozier
The Fillmore
March 12, 2015
Don't get me wrong — when "Take Me To Church" closed out the singer-songwriter's regular set, swarms of cellphones were held in the air to record the performance, and dozens of people walked out when the song ended. For the majority, though, Hozier's voice captivated the crowd throughout his hour-and-a-half set.
When the first notes of "Angel of Small Death & The Codeine Scene" began, some in the crowd hummed along with the 6-foot-5 singer before singing along. During his performance, Hozier's vocals were usually the focal point, despite having a significant backing band — cello, keyboards, bass, drums, backing singers. This was especially true when he sang without accompaniment. He performed "In a Week" as a duet with singer Alana Henderson, who played cello with the band, while a cover of Skip James' "Illinois Blues" was done on his own. He also opened the four-song encore by himself with his acoustic song "Cherry Wine."
Hozier's adept finger-picking skills were on display for much of the evening. His guitar work was consistently the backbone of his songs with the band fleshing out the sound and adding more depth.
The set contained all 13 tracks from his self-titled debut, along with the James cover and a cover of Amerie's "One Thing" in the encore. He kept his banter short and sweet, usually just a thank you here and there, though he did express appreciation for the support he's gotten for his first visit to Charlotte and talked a bit of his native land at times.
If you missed last night's stunning performance, don't fret, Hozier will be back on June 17 for a concert at the Uptown Amphitheatre, with Dawes opening.
Encore
Cherry Wine
Run
One Thing
Work Song
George Ezra setlist
Cassy O
Blame It on Me
Listen to the Man
Song 6
Barcelona
Budapest
Did You Hear the Rain?