Hozier
Forest Hills Stadium
Queens, New York
By Shrithik Karthik
Hozier’s performance at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York, on Wednesday, June 5th, was a unique experience. As the final stop of his Unreal Unearth + tour before going international, the outdoor venue and the close-knit, passionate fanbase created a summer night to remember. The most captivating element was the enchanting sound of Hozier’s voice, which was truly magical in person. The show, filled with audience interaction, lasted a thrilling two hours.
Hozier came out on the stage playing “Eat Your Young.” This was a perfect song to start the show with because of how excited everyone got during it. People rose out of their seats and were singing their hearts out. Hozier immediately sang incredibly high notes, which shocked me, and most of the audience could not keep up. “Jackie and Wilson” was the next song to be played, and it was another fan favorite. The bridge of this song was just claps and drums, and the audience enjoyed clapping along with the band. He then moved on to “From Eden,” which featured a little percussion, the cello, and many oohs and ahhs. This was the first song of many that the audience continued to sway.
He kept his audience engaged as he did a warm-up with us, which was a continual call and response of adding the notes to the central instrumental part of his song, “To be Alone.” The audience stayed engaged throughout “Francesca,” where there were synchronized arm movements, one of the band members was leading, and everyone caught on quite quickly. He introduced the song by saying it was about crossed lovers and a moment in “Dante’s Inferno.” The sadness of the music made it appropriately end with a blackout. The lighting immediately changed to white and purple during “It Will Come Back.” There was also a lot of smoke used throughout the song and one of the many string instruments that Hozier used during his performance. The lighting stayed white for the first rendition of “Cherry Wine.” Many people wore white skirts and held out their phone flashlights as it started to get dark, and the audience looked out of a movie. Immediately before the song, he noticed that a couple got engaged at his show and dedicated the song to them. The next song didn’t have lights in the beginning as it was about a Greek nymph, “Like Carrie,” which was very terrestrial. This was the perfect transition for the sun going off entirely.
Allison Russell, his opener, came out for “Wildflower and Barley.” Hozier gave her a great introduction about how they had been friends for a while and how great she was to tour with. The song featured a spotlight on the two with a red background and white waves. De Selby Part 1 featured just him and black and white spirals, but the most unique instrument in the show, the triangle, came out during De Selby (part 2), which empowered the audience heavily. The drummer solo, claps, and guitar playing the main melody during “Would That I” was the song you just need to soak in and realize how beautiful life is. The light shined on the central pit.
The lights focused on red, yellow, and orange during “Almost (Sweet Music),” and this was the most playful song of the whole night. Hozier made a point here to introduce his entire band, highlight each instrument, and share a little about them, especially the band members from NYC. Hozier played “Abstract(psycho-champ), which featured the lyric in the chorus, “So move me, baby,” but the band just watched the audience move. This was an incredible artistic choice. The concert seemed to be over when he sang his hit, “Take Me to Church,” and everyone was on their feet, surrounded by red lighting. At the end of the song, he put what looked to be the lesbian flag on the microphone, and there was a complete blackout.
About a minute later, Hozier was on a separate stage at the back of the pit singing Cherry Wine with just him and his guitar. He remained the only vocalist, but the band was back on the mainstage for “Oh No You’ll Know” and then ran back to the mainstage. He talked a lot about how everyone should have human rights, which empowered his audience before playing “Nina Cried Power.” Overall, this concert was great with themed lighting, vocals you must hear live to believe, and an empowered audience.ho
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