So I went to the Swell Season’s first show in LA last night (they’re on again tonight), and got the treat of a lifetime — Jason Segel came out to perform a balls-out hilarious song he wrote about trying to sleep with a Swell Season fan. The video above is thankfully not-terrible quality.
For those who don’t know, the Swell Season are Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova from the movie Once, along with Hansard’s regular band The Frames backing them up. The movie’s amazing, and if you haven’t seen it, you should. The band is just as amazing.
It’s a strange show to see. Once, and the soundtrack to it, narrates Glen and Marketa’s blossoming relationship, as you watch and hear them become romantically involved. Their just-released follow-up album, Strict Joy, was written in the midst of their breakup. So in concert, you get both effects, mixed in with each other. You hear “Fallen From The Sky” to open and think “oh god, they’re so cute together.” Then you hear “Low Rising” and realize they’re not together anymore. And later you hear something else and want to scream out: “DON’T YOU SEE YOU LOVE EACH OTHER??”
Because ultimately, they’re singing these songs to each other, in real time. Singing about how much they love each other, or how much they’ve grown apart, but going through all the emotions on stage in front of you. Bizarre. But breathtaking.
Emily noted it was like The Swell Season Variety Hour, and it was; the Frames’ fiddle player did a traditional Irish ballad, Marketa brought a family friend on stage and sang a traditional Czech song in honor of the recent anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. Glen told incredible story after incredible story, from an old woman in Chicago with a beautiful coat to dealing with a side project from the band you’ve been involved with for twenty years.
But best of all, somehow, was Jason Segel. Completely out of nowhere, Glen tells about meeting Jason and Paul Rudd, and then introduces Jason. And then we get this truly phenomenal song. Not just a great tune, but absolutely hilarious.
Probably the best single concert moment of my life. Just awesome.
Jealous.
