Live Review: The Swell Season Perform Magical New Album, Forward, At LA’s Greek Theatre

Greg Poblete September 23rd, 2025 – 1:30 PM

Photo credit: Stephen Hoffmeister

The Swell Season, the folk duo consisting of Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, put on a fantastic show at the historic Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on September 19th, 2025.

Known for their soundtrack work in the 2007 film, Once, the song “Falling Slowly” led to the group’s Academy Award for Best Original Song win in 2008 over original music from the films August Rush and Enchanted. This current tour is celebrating the newest release, Forward, which explores themes of reflection, family and regret, as well as the relentless attempt to move forward despite life’s hardships.

The Greek Theatre is arguably one of the most beautiful venues in all of Los Angeles, especially on a warm September evening underneath a clear, night sky. Tucked into the Griffith Park hills as trees engulf on either side of the venue, attending a show at the Greek feels both intimate and grand at the same time, which creates the perfect ambiance for a duo like The Swell Season to fully thrive. The crowd was respectful, seated for the entire show though they still displayed admiration, occasionally giving a standing ovation after certain songs.

There was no opener, but Hansard and Irglová, as well as their bassist and drummer, walked on stage and promptly started at 7:50PM. They opened the set with “Low Rising” from the album Strict Joy. It was a subtle but prominent opening song with Hansard’s smokey vocals, Irglová twinkling piano, as the bassist held it down on the low ends and the drums mildly grooved. Overall, the mix was fantastic. No one instrument was overpowering, the vocals were bright and upfront and the sound carried all throughout the Greek Theatre.

The second song was when Glen’s personality began to peak through. Glen introduced “Stuck in Reverse” from the new album as the song they were supposed to perform on Jimmy Kimmel the night before. So in honor of Kimmel’s show being shortly canceled for making timely remarks about the death of right-wing political activist, Charlie Kirk, Glen dedicated the song to the late night host. There were even a few lyric changes that were sung with an intense emphasis such as “Can we go back to the days when we could say what we want?” This was one of the many points of the show where Glen vocalized the political climate and certain injustices currently happening in America.

Sonically, as a band who perform rather soft music, The Swell Season were tiptoeing along the lines of heavy power ballads with driving bass lines and occasional distorted guitars. Glen’s vocals were passionate and the lyrics cut through the heart like a knife. Markéta’s vocals were enchanting and provided a soft cushion against Glen’s rugged vocals, especially on her solo performance of “I Leave Everything to You.”

Being the LA stop of the tour, there were a few surprise guests including Olivia Vedder, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam’s daughter. Olivia popped up on stage to sing “My Father’s Daughter” from the 2021 film soundtrack, Flag Day. It was a beautiful, one-of-a-kind moment that only live music can provide. After performing, Olivia ran off stage and a smiling Eddie Vedder waved goodbye as he had to hop over to the Hollywood Bowl to make it in time for The Who concert. Another special guest who came out a bit later during the concert was actor and singer, Steve Kazee. Steve made his way through the crowd to help sing The Frames song, “Say It to Me Now.”

A few other highlights from the night included “Lies,” “Leave” and of course, “Falling Slowly.” Glen introduced “Falling Slowly” saying, “This song has been very good for us.” Just like the recorded version, the live rendition was moving, emotional and felt like a triumphant victory lap with the crowd singing along. Even without all the bells and whistles and the simple stage production, The Swell Season are at their best through their raw, authentic songwriting, and their talent for painting tender sceneries through their lyrics shines brightly especially in a venue like the Greek Theatre.

The last song of the night was a Leonard Cohen cover of “Passing Through.” With just Glen on guitar and the rest of the band harmonizing, it was a perfect send off for the night with the sentiment of the song being that we are all just humans passing through on this planet and we should treat others with kindness and respect.

Before performing the Leonard Cohen song, Glen told the story of a friend who traveled from Istanbul to Mongolia by car driving through every country and meeting people of different backgrounds and religions, understanding their stories and seeing the humanity that is not presented in the media. He made the point that there are eight billion people on the planet and only ten million of them are fighting against each other. And when you are able to look at things from that perspective, it really shows just how much light there is in the world when everything does feel dark.

Whether you are familiar with The Swell Season’s music or not, this current tour promoting Forward has plenty of awe-inspiring moments filled with magic that any music lover would appreciate. To see upcoming tour dates and other news regarding The Swell Season, check out their website. And make sure to listen to the new album, Forward available now.

Setlist