SHOW REVIEW - Hozier Live in Columbus
Kenzie Gay - @kenzwrites
August 7th, 2024. The day I have been waiting for since last December. The day I finally get to see Hozier, my largest (living) writing inspiration and one of my favorite artists ever, live.
Andrew Hozier Byrne, professionally under the moniker Hozier, is an anomaly within the modern pop music scene and he has been since the kickstart of his career back in 2014 with his hit single Take Me to Church. Whereas most pop these days is the same, repetitive, noise full of synth, boring chord progressions, and blunt lyricism, Hozier’s music resides in the category of blues with folky undertones. Putting out lyrics that border along the lines of poetry, Hozier’s music has resonated with those of us who love romance and the spiritual aspects of everyday live.
As I mentioned previously, his career first picked up in 2014 with the release of Take Me to Church that led up to his debut self titled album later that year. As of publishing, Take Me to Church is his most streamed song with over 2.5 billion listens on Spotify alone. He was labeled as “the Take Me to Church guy” for quite some time, as his next album, a record titled Wasteland, Baby!, wasn’t as commercially successful (though, one could argue it was even better than his first).
In March of 2023, however, Hozier shot back up to the top of everyone’s radar with Eat Your Young. The song came as part of an EP of the same name, soon joining a full length album titled Unreal Unearth that would debut later in August of that year. Inspired by the stories of Dante’s Inferno, Unreal Unearth became a huge hit as an album rather than a song here or there (though it was never nominated for any sort of large music award?!) which led to his coinciding tour being sold out. Due to the high demand of such shows, he went on to add additional legs both in the United States and overseas so more people could have the chance to experience him live and that, my fine friends, is how I was able to nab myself a ticket for his show in Columbus, Ohio, at the Schottenstein Center.
Photos via Ruth Medjber (@ruthlessimagery, left) and River Cronk (@river.mc33, right)
Joy Oladokun
Being from Michigan, I was skeptical to go all the way to Ohio to the OSU campus of all places to witness a concert (all jokes but also…go Wolverines!) but in hindsight, I am so glad that I made the trip down (despite my sketchy airbnb and the nightmarish traffic).
At around 8:00 P.M. the show commenced officially after a long hour or so of hand-picked house music that ranged from Lana Del Ray to Muddy Waters, welcoming Joy Oladokun and her band to the stage. In contrast to most shows I attend, I hadn’t had time to do any pre-concert research on the opening act so Joy’s set was a pure surprise…and a great one at that. Starting up with Taking Things for Granted, Joy magnetized the entire arena with her captivating vocals and her just-as-fascinating backing band composed of a drummer, keyboardist, and bassist.
The entire set, though only 8 songs, was a very fun and eccentric way of kicking off a Hozier show. Joy and her respective band mates played songs such as Changes, Sunday, Drugs, Jordan, and even a short but angelic cover of Hallelujah. As the face of the music, Joy did a fantastic job at keeping the audience connected and entertained. One of my favorite aspects of her showmanship was her sense of humor - it is always refreshing and personable when a musician cracks jokes and lets loose in the high stakes of an arena performance such as this one, especially when they’re actually hilarious like Joy was.
Before bidding us adieu (sadly), Joy and her band closed with We’re All Gonna Die, riling us up for the headliner to come, which was just minutes away at that point.
Photos via Rachel Deeb (@rkdeeb)
Hozier
A little before 9:00, the house lights lower and the entire arena begins to buzz with that same intoxicating anticipation. Hozier’s band, a very extensive one composed of a keyboardist, organist, drummer, bassist, guitarist, cellist, backup singers, and more, trickles on as the vibrating cheers and screams increase and before I know it, De Selby (Part 1) begins to fill every ear. Just as the first verse begins with “at last, when all of the world is asleep, you take in the blackness of air”, Hozier steps into the light with his guitar and the show officially sets itself into motion.
Narrowing in on the setlist, I have exactly three words: Oh. My. God. Hozier, as expected, melted straight into De Selby (Part 2) after its predecessor and the songs to follow only seemed to get better.
He plays Jackie and Wilson, the first song that really got me hooked at large. He whips out Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene, an old and often underplayed track that is dark but united all the same. He gives us Dinner & Diatribes, another rare song live from Wasteland, Baby! He even brings out I, Carrion (Icarian) as a soft surprise mid-set. The most memorable moments of this performance for me, though, resided in three songs: It Will Come Back, Unknown/Nth, and Nina Cried Power.
It Will Come Back has always been one of those songs that truly embodies Hozier’s approach at romantic songs - yearnful and dark. It’s been one of my favorites of his for that very reason and when those introductory chords first sprang out, I knew it would be epic. Throughout the song, Hozier seems to play with his entire being. His face moves to the raw emotion of the words and by the end of it, he is borderline growling because of how impassioned everything makes him. Cellist Larissa Maestro truly steals the show with this one, though, due to the somber cadence It Will Come Back holds courtesy of that very cello.
Unknown/Nth is a “stripped down” sort of performance, at least at first glance. Alone at B Stage, a secondary stage near the back of house just behind the sound booth, Hozier begins with Cherry Wine then dives into this number without much introduction. I immediately pull my phone out, as this is my favorite song of his that I actually listened to regularly even before its release (long story short, he teased the demo on Tiktok and I proceeded to save it then cry profusely to it every time I had a bad day, which was often at the time.). The primitive timbre of Hozier’s voice sends a ripple of chills throughout the Schottenstein Center, eliciting an eerie and beautiful near-silence that fits perfectly with Unknown/Nth’s ambience. After the second verse, the song picks up and the rest of the band makes their presence known from main stage, booming throughout the building in an explosion of magic and divinity mostly in part from the combination of Hozier and his band’s vocals rather than instruments.
At the conclusion of Unknown/Nth, the band falls into an instrumental breakdown to give Hozier time to reach main stage once more. On his short but exciting walk up front, he takes the chance to high five some lucky fans who are seated in the right side of the pit or the front row of seats. By the time he gets back up to his rightful spot, he shifts into a long and fervent monologue of sorts where he emphasizes the importance of activism. He points out specific activism-driven revolutions such as The American Civil Rights Movement, the establishment of Roe V. Wade, the foundation of the 19th amendment, and others. To fans in the know, we can tell he is introducing Nina Cried Power, a song he made with blues trailblazer and activist Mavis Staples in 2018.
His speech amps up even further when he mentions ongoing turmoil such as the threat of women’s reproductive freedom and the inhumane genocide of Palestine and Gaza; he urges everyone to stand up, to vote, to call for a ceasefire, and he gracefully dives into Nina Cried Power with backing vocalist Melissa McMillan singing Staples’ part without another word.
He finishes the show out with Work Song, an oldie but goodie, and gives Columbus a final farewell (for now).
Hozier: Down The Road
After his performance in Columbus, Hozier has even more shows planned for the oncoming months in cities such as Calgary, Saskatoon, Sacramento, Tucson, Perth, Oklahoma City, and several others. Furthermore, he is headlining at this year’s All Things Go festival in Maryland and he has a brand-new EP out now titled Unaired.
If you’re lucky enough to grab some tickets for a Hozier show whether it’s at a regular concert or a festival set, do yourself a favor and GO! You won’t be disappointed, in fact, you will be moved spiritually and emotionally forever.
