Hozier May 9, the Chelsea.
More than anything, this type of performance puts to rest the idea that Hozier might be a one-hit wonder. His music has clearly crossed over from indie rock to mainstream (where it belongs), and backing it up with shows like this one at the Cosmopolitan only builds on the powerful momentum.
Starting Thursday’s set with crowd-pleaser “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene” was a smart move by the young Irishman. His music is lyrically adept, hook-heavy rock that’s beyond pop-friendly. “From Eden” and “Jackie and Wilson” might as well have been unreleased Van Morrison demos —not surprising for a man of Hozier’s geographic origin.
The four-piece backing band more than held up its end, with his keyboardist owning the haunting melody on the wonderfully Irish-y titled “Arsonist’s Lullabye,” a song that no doubt goes perfectly with a pint of Guinness or a glass of Bushmills. Hozier also gave a solo nod to his blues influence with an acoustic performance of Skip James’ “Illinois Blues”—just the man and his guitar. His best acoustic piece, however, was “Cherry Wine” during the encore. And in the “had no business working but did” category, the full-band take on Amerie’s “1 Thing” got everyone dancing.
As for the moment everyone was waiting for, it lived up to the hype. Main set-closing mega-hit “Take Me to Church,” with the entire crowd seemingly belting out every word, felt impressive. But then, so did the entire show.
