“Second Time Around” The Swell Season and Josh Ritter at The Wiltern
Wednesday, November 19th, 2009
by Josiah Daniel Golojuh
During the course of their second night of back to back shows The Swell Season, currently made up of Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová, and The Frames, hit all the same beats as the night before. Almost all the same songs, a few of the same stories and jokes, but anyone who has ever been to a rock show knows that even if you play the same songs every single night no two shows are the same. Each has its own special moments, such as when Glen and the guys from The Frames did a Justin Timberlake cover, followed by a request from Glen that people not post it on YouTube.
The real distinguishing moments came at the encore. As in the night before, actor and self-professed “amateur songwriter” Jason Segel took the stage, and with some small changes he performed just as he had the night before, and he was just as hilarious as the night before.
Yet as a Josh Ritter fan the best moment of the encore came when Josh joined the band on stage. Glen and Josh sang together, Josh looking a little lost out there behind a mic without a guitar. When the song ended Glen handed his guitar off to Josh.
From the view in the cheap seats, after what appeared to be some reluctance Josh took the guitar, and played one of his songs “Come and Find Me.”
Josh Ritter owes his career to Glen Hansard, as it was Glen himself who discovered Josh and brought him to Ireland where Josh is now a star, yet Glen stepped aside to show his great respect for Josh Ritter.
Glen began to get the crowd to sing back the chorus. Josh attempted to gratefully walk off, handing the guitar back to Glen so he could play them out, but Glen simply laid the guitar on the stage. He was giving this moment to Josh Ritter.
As the words “Come and find me now” were sung back to him from the audience, a humble, and seemingly overwhelmed Josh walked off stage, trying to return the adulation that was coming from his host Glen via the audience.
It was a friend sharing the moment, giving freely of himself for the sake of another, something he didn’t have to do, but something he wanted to do. We should all be so lucky to have friends like Glen Hansard.
