Review: Hozier at Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview
The sun sets on the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, New York, and the cool hue of the night sky overtakes the fuchsia of dusk, complimenting a deep blue tapestry with twinkling spotlights illuminating a tall figure centerstage. Its falsetto voice soars above the crowd of thousands. In this moment, Hozier guides thousands into the layers of Hell as envisioned in “Dante’s Inferno”- the inspiration for his latest record “Unreal, Unearth.”
The Irish singer-songwriter with opening act Allison Russell kicked off the summer concert season for the venue on May 21 with equally passionate and electrifying performances. Despite performing in a few cities thus far and playing the largest crowd of his career the night before in Saratoga Springs, Hozier’s performance was engaging on all fronts.
Allison Russell, a Canadian singer-songwriter, opened the show with her song “Hy-Brasil” featuring an opening bass clarinet solo played by Russell and a chorus of harmonizing voices from her band behind her. Russell’s voice is unique with an unmistakable vibrato and effervescent stage presence.
The music of Russell and her band held the attention of many who may have never heard her music until that moment. Her lyrics and performance are lush with empathy and gratitude. She spoke of her experiences as a Black woman from her childhood onwards while calling for justice and equality, and expressed her grief over the killing of children in Palestine (“All children are our children” she says) with a call to action to pressure our elected officials for a cease-fire.
As Russell closes her five-song set, the sun fades further behind the horizon as Hozier takes the stage. His set begins with “De Selby (Part 1)” where the end of the song swells with instrumentation and voices into “De Selby (Part 2),” the more rock-driven song of the coupling. “De Selby (Part 2)” is no easy song to sing (it is pitched down from the studio version), but Hozier flows through the song with ease and vocal ad-libs.
He takes it back to his roots after the openers with “Jackie and Wilson” from his first record. Afterward, he greets the crowd, remarks on the “outrageously beautiful” part of New York State, and tests the vocal health of the Syracuse crowd with the first few notes of “To Be Alone,” which is a feature of every Hozier performance.
For a Hozier fan keeping up with set-list changes and special guests of each show, Syracuse was a unique show thus far. He plays many of the usual suspects with a few recent editions like “Too Sweet,” his first number-one song and happy-accident, and a duet with Russell on “Wildflower and Barley” which he wrote early into the pandemic as a reflection of the world slowing down and nature coming into focus. Both songs were released on a March EP “Unheard” as unreleased tracks from the August 2023 record.
The setlist ebbed and flowed - some for dancing and clapping like “Dinner and Diatribes” and others like the stripped-down acoustic version of “From Eden” to listen and take in the moment.
Some of the most memorable moments started towards the end of the set with Hozier leaving the mainstage out of stage left to stand center of the venue to perform “Cherry Wine” where lighters and flashlights littered the room as people sang along. By this time, the crowd was quieter, prompting Hozier to have the crowd repeat the final chorus with him.
This tender moment is what people mean when they say a Hozier concert is spiritual. There was no other place anybody else in that room needed to be except for where they stood or sat at that moment. The attention was centered - everyone faced the center rather than just turning their heads.
The quietest the venue got was when Hozier performed “The Parting Glass,” dedicating it to the class of 2024. He noted a sign from someone that said “I just graduated” earlier in the set, and then gestured to the sign again and brought attention to the graduates in the room (me included). Before he sang the first note, not a voice was heard in the seats or the lawn. Again, the attention was only on Hozier and the music.
In reflecting on the show a few days out, this performance was one of my favorites I’ve seen within the last few years. Now, I may be biased having met Hozier twice before and seeing him perform for the first time I’d be willing to look over discrepancies, but it was genuinely amazing.
His ability to perform vocally and instrumentally with the same passion night after night is impressive. He engaged with the audience and gave an insightful speech towards the end of the night on his deep appreciation and gratitude for the musicians who came before him before “Nina Cried Power,” which names the artists who paved the way for a revolution in music and culture. He brought special attention to the need to engage democratically within society and to be aware of injustice where he called out attacks on women, the LGBTQ+ community and a call for justice in Palestine.
One criticism came from an audience member who yelled out to Hozier to just play the music at a 2023 tour date- a demand that couldn’t be met even if Hozier tried. His music is inherently political at times with his existence as a musician being tied to the work of people of color and other marginalized communities who used music as a vehicle for connecting with people about important issues. His recognition of this fact and willingness to use his platform should be recognized.
Hozier showed off his musical prowess and used his music and platform to speak on issues affecting every person in the audience. Hozier deserves his flowers, and he’s poised to bring a passionate and impactful show to every stop he makes on this tour.
