PHOTOS: Misneach Festival (Day Two) in Boston,MA (03.19.25)
Day two of Dermot Kennedy’s Misneach Festival moved from the intimate Brighton Music Hall to Boston’s TD Garden, where fans filled in from all over the world. Scanning through social media before the show, I noticed people describing their trips from places as far as Alaska and even Germany to attend Misneach in Boston. Getting into the bigger venue brought out the feel of the festival, an international event that people were excited to travel to.
First up to the arena stage was County Kildare native Nell Mescal. Somewhat mirroring Hollan on night one, Mescal was also performing in front of a larger audience than ever before, taking an arena stage for the first time. The younger sister of actor Paul Mescal, Nell put out her debut EP, Can I Miss it For a Minute?, last year.
Folk duo Ye Vagabonds followed, performing with a backing band that expanded them to a five-piece outfit, with a cello, upright bass, and keys in addition to their acoustic guitars and mandolins. Standing extremely close to one another, the group managed to project an intimate, more analog sound into the cavernous arena.
The festival’s penultimate act, The Swell Season, took the stage next. Comprised of Irish music legend Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová, the duo has been performing together off and on since 2006 and has two full-length albums.
Kennedy capped off the festival with a 90-minute mirroring the one he played in Sydney at the other Misneach Festival dated March 16th. He notably skipped his tune titled “Boston,” something he addressed on his social media later, saying:
“Also, sorry I didn’t play “Boston” tonight. I know I promised. But we were tight on time in Sydney and Boston to make room for other acts, and so we played the same set we played in Sydney cause it worked so well down there. My main focus was on playing the new tune and not messing it up. But I apologize; I know I said I would, and I like to think I stick to my word. So my bad, thank you again for a great night, and I hope you still liked the show.”
The two-night festival was an overwhelming success, however, with a sold-out night one and a roughly 85% crowd in the 18k-capacity arena on night two. As he did on night one, Kennedy capped off the festival by performing “The Parting Glass” with the other acts who had performed that night.
Have a look through photos of night two below.
Photos: Dermot Kennedy, The Swell Season, Ye Vagabonds, Nell Mescal at TD Garden in Boston, MA on March 19th:
