The concert was delayed due to a terrible accident on the road--our thoughts are with the victims.  Hozier began his set--my wife and daughter told me to stop waiting.  I locked my bike to a pole, checked my panniers and helmet, at the baggage check, threw on a pair of shorts and my Pogues t-shirt, and went in.  What I've found about some of the longer rides--particularly with climbs--is that, despite logically knowing I've consumed plenty of liquid, my thirst feels insatiable.  So, at the first vendor I bought a 32 ounce Labatt's Blue light, and a 16 ounce Liquid Death water. 

Other than the ubiquitous song or two, I knew nothing of Hozier until we bought the tickets.  I was there for my daughter.  She had spent the last couple of days ramping up my knowledge.  I had a better sense of his music.  I appreciated the fact he was Irish--I identify strongly with my bit of Irish DNA.  I noticed I was a different demographic than his typical fan.  Nonetheless, I am now a fan.  Like Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Michael Jackson...sometimes there's a reason for the hype.  He possesses a phenomenal voice, experiments with rhythms, and I appreciate the arrangements which include a cellist and stellar background vocals.  

Here's a short clip courtesy of someone else in the audience:

Hozier at Darien for a second

At the end of the show, he started talking about protests: the history of protests in Ireland, the protests against Apartheid in the 1980s, the Civil Rights movement, the suffrage movement, protests in America now.  He boiled protest down to being there for people even if you don't share their life experience.  That we should care about each other.  I've never been homeless or hungry--not the kind of indefinite insecurity that comes from not knowing where you are going to sleep or how you are going to eat day in and day out.  But I got to know many students very well who did suffer that experience.  That's what this bike ride is about.