Sweet Oblivion: The Frames Rock Webster Hall in NY

I've never managed to see The Frames when they toured through the Philly area, but I love their new record The Cost and singer Glen Hansard's music from the film Once so much that I was determined not to miss them this time around. There was no Philly date on their brief tour of the US in Aug/Sept, so I made the trek up to New York last night to see them play Webster Hall in the East Village.

Needless to say, the trip was sooooo worth it, in spite of the way I'm dragging myself through the work day today. All the stories I'd heard about how fantastic The Frames are live were understatements. They blew me away from the first swinging acoustic chords of set-opener "Rise". I heard just about every song I'd hoped to hear them play, and the encores were a dream. Hansard's co-star in Once, Marketa Irglova, who hadn't been on tour with The Frames this time, was in town for this final show (and for a Letterman taping earlier in the day). She joined Hansard for a chill-inducing run through "Falling Slowly" and "When Your Mind's Made Up". Later on during "Red Chord", the last song of the second encore and perhaps my favorite track from the band's back catalog, she again joined Hansard, sharing the mic with him as they belted out the rousing crescendo of the tune's final chorus. I'm getting chills again just remembering it. Here's the setlist:

Rise
Sad Songs
Lay Me Down
God Bless Mom
Stars Are Underground
A Caution To The Birds
Rent Day Blues --> I Have the Moon (Magnetic Fields cover)
What Happens When the Heart Just Stops
Pavement Tune
Fake
Your Face --> Lilac Wine tease
Revelate
Star Star --> Hotellounge (Be The Death of Me) tease (Deus cover)
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Blue Shoes - Colm: "Because it's Sep 10th, I'd like to dedicate it to the people
who are gonna be lonesome tomorrow." (violin solo)
Falling Slowly (w/ Marketa Irglova on keys and vox)
When Your Mind's Made Up (w/ Mar on keys & vox)
People Get Ready
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Out on the Weekend (Neil Young cover)
Red Chord (w/ Mar on vox)

I'm too exhausted to post a full Frames gig right now, but the rest of this week's posts are going to be heavy on the Irish rockers' music. Here's Glan Hansard and Marketa Irglova's performance of "Falling Slowly" that I recorded last night off TV while in NYC.