Captivating concert

Hozier performs at the Riviera Theatre Feb. 25. Photo: Kris Lori Photography

Typical Chicago winter weather hit but it didn’t stop Hozier fans from attending his show Feb. 25 at the Riviera Theatre.

After trucking up north of the city with my camera gear, I found myself in the crowd of Hozier fans.

I got my gear ready to photograph the first artist in the lineup. Asgeir is an Icelandic singer who has emerged as an international artist. Playing songs from his album “In the Silence,” he had the crowd swaying and held their attention as he performed.

Icelandic singer Asgeir had the crowd swaying with his soothing voice and melodic beats. Photo: Kris Lori Photography

His soothing voice and melodic beats make his overall sound unique and refreshing to the ear.

I highly recommend listening to and watching his music video for “King and Cross.”

The show sold out and it’s understandable why it did. Hozier’s voice can range from deep to high pitches in his hit song “Take Me to Church.” I was excited to see what his live performance would be like.

As the photographers entered the pit, I started to adjust my settings. When the lights were turned off and the stage lit up, I was amazed by the group that Hozier was traveling with — guitarists, backup singers, a drummer and a cellist! I was certainly impressed and anxious to see what was about to happen.

Andrew Hozier-Byrne took the stage and the crowd cheered as he started off singing.

His voice is just as captivating in person as on the radio, maybe even more. For a second, I forgot to start photographing the show. The production, the crew and the music were amazing and I was really happy that I got the chance to capture this show. Make sure you put “seeing Hozier live” on top of your to-do list — you won’t regret it.  

Be sure to take a peek at some of the photos I took for UIC Radio.

The only down side to the show is that my press sticker fell off my leg when I left the pit (it looked really nice too). I love collecting my photo passes and sticker; so pretty bummed out about that.

Kris Fuentes Cortes is a senior in communication, a Boston native, an active student around campus, and a dreamer of working in the world of music. She wants to become a tour manager for a band and travel internationally while she’s still young. She’s the assistant marketing director for UIC Radio.