Ahead of a couple of New York City area gigs, and newly a father, Glen Hansard performed an intimate, surprise set at The Scratcher on March 12, 2023. He was secretly listed on the bill as Taylor McDonagh and followed a set from Brendan O’Shea (who once worked at the bar and joked that he still had to return the keys). O’Shea performed a few new songs, receiving some audience feedback that he should play them again, and was joined by Jenna Nicholls for a few songs, for a crowd-pleasing set.
Hansard played for about an hour, with Bob Odenkirk and his daughter seated just a few feet away. He opened his set with a song off This Wild Willing and continued on through songs like “Renata” (written about a former Scratcher bartender), “Falling Slowly” (as a duet with Evangeline Young) before wrapping up with a racous “The Auld Triangle”. The room wasn’t packed to the brim (fortunately) so it was possible for Hansard to squeeze a few folks in through the window towards the end (though after a few got in, others were scolded from coming in that way as there is a door).
Hansard will be performing at Danny Clinch’s Transparent Clinch Gallery in Asbury Park, New Jersey on March 14, joining a tribute to Paul McCartney at Carnegie Hall on March 15th and then traveling upstate for a gig at Levon Helm Studios on the 17th.
Check out some pics from the show as well as two videos (“Falling Slowly”) below.
