By: Hayley Strahs and Kat Littfin

Local Editors

On the evening of Sept. 10, crowds amassed at the popular Shoreline Amphitheater to watch Hozier’s “Unreal Unearth Tour,” Hozier’s first tour since 2019. Hozier gave concertgoers from the pit to the lawn a spectacular performance down to the very last detail. The concert featured creative and artistic sets, powerful opener Allison Russell, and a colorful set list. Most of all, the ethereal and emotionally raw performance of the elusive “Forest Daddy” captivated viewers.

Andrew Hozier Byrne, commonly known as Hozier, is a decorated and seasoned Irish singer-songwriter. Hozier released his self-titled album in 2014 and quickly amassed a cult following for the album’s international chart-toppers Cherry Wine, a song telling the story of a victim of domestic violence, and Take Me To Church, a song about the oppression of the LGBTQIA+ community. In his now decade-long career, Hozier has released three full albums, — Hozier (2014), Wasteland Baby (2019), Unreal Unearth (2023) — eight EPs, and 23 singles. Hozier’s most recent album, Unreal Unearth, follows the story of Dante’s inferno. Hozier relates the book to his pandemic experiences as well as the pandemic’s impact on the world at large.

Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View holds up to 22,000 people, boasting both assigned seats and a general admission lawn. Hozier’s technical crew decked out the stage itself with platforms, floating root props, and massive screens. Each song featured a unique series of projections to match, including music video clips, artwork, and certain lyrics. In addition, Hozier’s auxiliary band featured instruments such as the cello, synth, drums, and bass guitar.

Singer-songwriter Allison Russell opened the concert with a bang, playing numerous songs from her albums Outside Child and The Returner. Many fans knew Russell because of her collaboration with Hozier on the song Wildflower and Barley. Around 8:45 PM, Hozier started his set with De Selby parts one and two, the opening songs on Unreal Unearth. For the Irish-sung portion at the end of the first part, translations appeared on screens on both sides of the stage. Switching gears, the next seven songs, with the exception of Francesca, were from his previous albums Hozier and Wasteland Baby. With Hozier’s commanding vocals and the sparkling projections behind him, fans eagerly sang and waved their phone flashlights along. Between every few songs, Hozier delivered a quick statement about the previous or next song, along with thanking the audience. Furthermore, Russell joined him for her feature in Wildflower and Barley. The primarily acoustic song’s minimal lighting allowed for Hozier and Russell’s singing to shine.

Near the end of the concert, Hozier performed his most popular song, Take Me To Church. Afterwards, all of the lights went out for a short break, confusing some audience members. Hundreds of people began to file out of Shoreline Amphitheatre, unaware that there were still three more songs to come. Hozier ended the concert with the inspirational Nina Cried Power, the ethereal Unknown/Nth, and the intimate Work Song. Hozier deliberately thanked each band, crew, and audience member before the lights came on and everyone left the stadium.

Hozier’s concert the evening of Sept. 10 was artistically unique and nothing short of memorable. We highly recommend that you go to a Hozier concert if you get the chance, as it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. When choosing a new song for your Spotify playlist, consider a song from Hozier’s latest album.

(Sources: LiveNation, IMDb)