On a rainy Tuesday evening in Kansas City, the Uptown was filled with heartwarming songs, and hearty laughter in between.

Glen Hansard does a fantastic job at getting fans to see him as the working man’s man. They saw his rise to fame via his Cinderella-story movie “Once,” and have lovingly thrown their support at him since. There’s no reason they shouldn’t think he’s on their level. He dedicates every other song to a worker of some sort, be it a blue-collar employee or a struggling musician. He’ll chat and flirt with the front row while simultaneously blushing about, detailing his own hardships (for example, the band had to drive through a tornado the night before). Yes, scruffy and peckish songwriter Glen Hansard, in his likable and stumbly demeanor, is the downtrodden hero you’ll want to root for.. and boy does he wear it well.

But before you go sympathizing with him as a peer, he’s quick to remind you there’s a reason he’s on the stage. Backed by a serious squad of stringed instruments and a horn section (we even spotted a flute!), the artist’s talents detonated off of the Uptown stage. This was evident when he started off the set standing still and alone on the very edge of the stage, sans mic. He crooned and belted a ballad a cappella, his voice reaching to the very back of the venue, echoing off the walls. To call Hansard’s vocals “explosive” would be an understatement, and a grand disgrace to his musical powers. The audience was absolutely static, fixated on the silhouette toeing the edge of the stage. The air was still, and you could hear a pin drop. This was the very definition of chilling.
 
 
 
 
But the chit-chatty storyteller rebounded with a charging number rich with layers of horns and cello and everything else! But, once again, the charming Irishman on stage appeared as a middle class comrade. He got to a point during his second song where he looked up and (with a giggle) proclaimed “I forgot the words.” Everybody forgave him with a round of laughter. He blamed his wandering mind, which was trying to recall the name of their sports team. Naturally, any reference to the Royals resulted in a round of loud cheers and applause. Hansard responded with “May your winning streak never end!” and that was it. The audience was his. He had won them over, and they remained fixated on their new best friend for the remainder of the show.

Words and photos by Fally Afani