LIVE REVIEW: Hozier in Boston, MA (06.23.25)
“This is insane, you do this every summer? Would nobody please think of the Irish folk?” jested Hozier early on during his concert at Fenway Park Monday night, referring to the sweltering heat that greeted him. With temperatures upwards of 90 degrees, the weather played a significant role in what Hozier described as one of the largest shows he’s played on US soil. Still promoting the release of his third studio album, Unreal Unearth (2023), Hozier returned to New England for the third time on the current album cycle.
Differing a bit from recent setlists, he opened Monday night’s show with “Nobody’s Soldier,” for only the second time since the tour began two years ago. He then launched into a pair of his bluesiest tunes, “Jackie and Wilson” – a tribute to famed blues singer Jack Wilson – and “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene,” a song best experienced in a live setting with Hozier’s talented backup singers performing their most elegant harmonies.
Hozier’s earliest works were heavily influenced by the blues musicians of the past, a style he often showcased on his self-titled debut, released in 2014. While he’s currently promoting the new record, eight songs off Monday’s setlist would come from the debut.
As far as the newer songs go, “Eat Your Young” was an early standout. Released on St. Patrick’s Day in 2023, the song was the first single from Unreal Unearth. It’s a social commentary on global consumption and the worldwide practice of prioritizing war profits over alleviating poverty, a common issue among most countries around the world. The point of the song was strongly driven home as video boards behind and above Hozier displayed some of the more shocking statistics, such as the global stock price of defense contractors Lockheed Martin and the total number of children displaced by international conflicts, something as relevant now as ever.
One of the night’s central themes was the deep connection that exists between the City of Boston and Ireland. In addition to mentioning how he was the first Irish artist to headline Fenway Park, Hozier spoke about Irish history and politics several times. He introduced a cover of Van Morrison’s “Sweet Thing,” saying: “It’s also a place where, this month, in June about 106 years ago, Éamon de Valera spoke to a crowd here asking for people to support an Independent Ireland.” Following that, he performed “De Selby (Part 1),” during which he sang in Irish with English translations of some of the lyrics displayed on the video boards.
Referencing the heat once again, he prefaced his song “Francesca” with the details, “This is a song that, appropriately enough for the temperature we find ourselves in, is about two people who find themselves in Hell and are pretty okay, pretty happy about it.” The song, like much of Unreal Unearth, is a reference to Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, specifically Inferno, and even more specifically to Francesca da Rimini, mentioned in the work.
Not long after, he played through what has become his most commercially successful song, “Too Sweet,” from the latest record. The song is his first to top the Billboard 100 charts, and currently has over 1 billion global streams on Spotify alone. Three songs later, he would go on to conclude the main set with the stadium rocker “Take Me to Church,” which had been his most commercially successful song for nine years before the release of “Too Sweet.” I’ve personally seen him perform the track several times over the years, and each time, he’s able to make whatever venue he’s playing feel bigger while performing it; this time around, it finally felt like it was being conducted in the space it’s always deserved. At the end of the song, he presented a Progress Pride Flag, which he hung from the microphone before walking off for his encore break.
A frenzied crowd in one specific portion of the stadium gave away the planned surprise appearance on a B-stage to open the encore, playing solo acoustic on a small square stage adjacent to the soundboard, he first introduced his song “Cherry Wine.” Following that, he played “Unknown/Nth” from Unreal Unearth.
After returning to the stage for the final encore, Hozier gave an impassioned speech about democracy and the importance of using your voice. Much of it was about his native Ireland, but he also related to politics around the world both past and present as he performed the song “Nina Cried Power,” while the title of the song is a nod to Nina Simone’s “Sinnerman,” visuals on the board also treated “Nina” as an acronym for “no Irish need apply” referencing signs that were once prevalent in the United State around an anti-Irish immigrant sentiment.
Before concluding the night with “Work Song,” Hozier made sure to personally name and thank every member of his touring party, from his backing band members to the carpenter who built the stage props. His gratitude had been on display all night. I had joked with my friends that we could have used a “thank you” counter, given how often he showed his appreciation for the fans who bore the heat to see him play.
The hallmark of a Hozier show is his authenticity and earnestness, whether it comes through to you in the songs themselves, or how he speaks in between songs, you get to see firsthand that he puts his vulnerability on display for the audience and connects with his fans, no matter the size of the crowd he’s playing to.
Featured image by: John Hutchings (2023)
