Concert Review: Hozier Performs at Budweiser Stage in Toronto

From the very moment the gates opened at Budweiser stage, people started flooding into the venue in anticipation of Hozier’s sold-out show in the heart of downtown Toronto. The air was buzzing with excitement, making it clear that Toronto was ready for Hozier to take the stage. 

As soon as the opener (Madison Cunningham) hit the stage, she had the crowd going wild! Her bluesy/jazz sound was a hit with everyone in attendance. She showed off her killer guitar riffs and strong vocal abilities song after song, with support from her incredibly talented band. I could only describe her music as calculated, hypnotic, and full of soul. If you haven’t gotten around to giving Madison Cunningham’s music a listen, I would highly recommend doing so!! Madison had everyone in the audience jamming and ready for the much-anticipated main act to come out.

It finally came time for Hozier to take the stage. The crowd was on the edge of their seats, waiting for him and his band to take the stage. Suddenly, the house lights dimmed, and the stage lights glowed… and Hozier took the stage. His band played some awesome instrumentals that set a dark and mysterious tone while Hozier got his guitar ready to go. Then, the moment the first chords of his guitar started; the audience went CRAZY!! His set started with ‘De Selby (Part 1)’ and moved into the upbeat ‘De Selby (Part 2)’. I think I would be bold enough to say these were the PERFECT songs to start his set with and set the tone for the evening. 

Hozier played a lot of songs from his older albums, which were clearly fan favorites. One of them was ‘Cherry Wine’, which was played acoustically about halfway into the set, and it was breathtaking to witness. I have never seen, nor heard, a crowd so moved by a song like this one. There was no rogue cheering or screaming, everyone in attendance was just singing along quietly and soaking in the performance on stage. Hozier also played a lot of songs like ‘Eat Your Young’ and ‘Who We Are’ from his most recent album ‘Unreal Unearth’. 

His voice is so powerful, and it proves that singers can sound exactly like they do in their studio recordings. This was clear when he played his arguably most well-known song ‘Take Me to Church’. There is a reason it is so well loved by his fans; it has a powerful message and is such a powerful song. During this song, a fan threw a pride flag on stage and Hozier held it up as he sang the last chorus in the song. The crowd erupted! I could literally feel the ground shaking with how loud the cheers were after this song finished. Hozier then exited the stage with a simple ‘thank you’, which left everyone wanting more. 

Luckily, this was not the end of the night. Hozier came out for an encore and played three more songs. This included ‘Unknown/Nth’, ‘First Light’, and ‘Work Song’. I think Work song was the best song to end the night and I think it left everyone feeling satisfied. It felt like the perfect close to the show. After finishing up his set, Hozier went out of his way to thank every single member of his crew by name and even had everyone sing Happy Birthday to his drummer. It is clear Hozier is so passionate about what he does, and I think that contributed to how incredible his show was. I would recommend to everyone that loves an authentic live performance they should see Hozier at least once in their life. It was a concert that was truly like no other. 

Stay tuned to Stereofade for more news and reviews, including this album review of Reneé Rapp’s project, Snow Angel.