The 2024 extension of Hozier’s Unreal Unearth tour landed at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre on August 13, to the delight of a sold-out crowd at the Maryland Heights venue.
Despite a virus circulating amongst band members, Hozier and crew performed a solid two-hour set to those assembled on this cool, slightly humid summer evening.
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Grammy-winning Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, activist, and multi-instrumentalist Allison Russell and her backing trio opened the night with a solid, joyful, and heartfelt set to a fast-growing crowd. Songs included the powerful “Eve Was Black” and the thoughtful “Superlover.”
Hozier’s set then began with a darkened stage and a backdrop of twinkling stars as the Irish singer-songwriter launched into the lilting “De Selby (Part 1)” washed in a simulated shaft of moonlight. The lights rose to reveal his supporting band as they slid into “De Selby (Part 2).”
Early on, Hozier introduced the harder-tinged anti-war song “Nobody’s Soldier,” first played at Lollapalooza. The song and a few other new tunes are available on his upcoming EP release, Unaired, out August 16.
The lengthy set also included “Dinner & Diatribes,” “Like Real People Do,” “Wildflower and Barley” (a duet with opener Russell), and the anthemic “Take Me to Church.” A four-song encore ended with powerful and raw “Nina Cried Power” and “Work Song,” on which Russell also accompanied the artist..
Despite the hazy night that kept the actual stars from shining through, 20,000 people left the Maryland Heights venue with stars in their eyes. Social media reactions called the show “so worth it” and (fittingly) “absolutely unreal.”
Full setlists from the night are available at setlist.fm. For more photos from the night visit https://bit.ly/Hozier24cz
