PHOTOS BY LAURA GRAY-SHAPERA

Even if you'd arrived late to the Vic Theatre last night (Nov.25), you could have shimmied all the way to the front and rested yourelbows on the stage. Not because the crowd was sparse -- quite theopposite, this was the second of two sold-out shows in Chicago thisweekend -- but because it was an audience focused raptly on seeing andhearing the majestic cinematic sleeper Once come to life. Thefilm's stars, Irish bandleader Glen Hansard of the Frames and hauntingCzech folksinger Markéta Irglová, coaxed the hopeful spirit of theclassic love story from a set that included soundtrack standouts like"Falling Slowly" and "When Your Mind's Made Up."

Otherhighlights such as an acoustic melding of the Frames' "Star Star" withthe Christmas carol "Oh Holy Night," and a playful cover of Bob Dylan's"You Ain't Going Nowhere" only added to the show's perfect simplicity.Add to that a few of Irglová's delicate but brave compositions and thefantastic new offering "Heartstrings (My Heart Has Got a Monkey for aBrain)," and the ebb and flow of the evening was easily established.Hansard's guitar and Irglová's grand piano were accompanied by cello,violin, and electric bass, but the long lasting impression from thenight was the natural power that two passionate, evocative voices canpossess. 

We Asked: The Swell Season provides the soundtrack to the passionate love affair at the center of the movie Once. If you made a soundtrack to your most recent affair, what would be the first song and why?

Name: Kevin Ludden
Age: 28
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Occupation: PR
"Something about starting anew and coming into who you are...so, basically anything by U2."

Name: Jennifer Harley
Age: 32
Hometown: Billings, MT
Occupation: Cashier
"I don't do well under pressure…actually, that would be it -- 'Under Pressure' -- for exactly that reason."

Name: Jon Monroy
Age: 35
Hometown: Billings, MT
Occupation: Retail
"This one Windsor For the Derby song, or 'Only You' by Yaz, because it's one of my favorite songs in the whole world!"

Name: Tia Einarsen
Age: 18
Hometown: Hawthorne Woods, IL
Occupation: Student
"'Silver Lining' by Rilo Kiley, because it's about having a friendship first and then falling in love with someone."

Name: Maureen Einarsen
Age: 47
Hometown: Hawthorne Woods, IL
Occupation: Perfect mother
"Dire Straights' 'Romeo & Juliet,' because it's an awesome love story."

Name: Ronnie Regon
Age: 30-something
Hometown: Dublin, IRE
Occupation: Unknown
"'It would have to be Markéta'ssong, 'If You Love Me,' because she's haunting, she's young, she'svibrant, and she sings from the soul."

Name: Lin Brehmer
Age: 53
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Occupation: Radio DJ, WXRT
"Jimmy Cliff, 'Rivers ofBabylon' -- it was the first song played at my wedding because it'sspiritual and romantic, and I thought no one would ever use it foranything else…until I saw High Fidelity."

Name: Jamie Laskero
Age: 26
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Occupation: Boutique
"'She's So Cold' by the Rolling Stones -- the lyrics explain it all."

The Swell Season / Photo by Laura Gray-Shapera

Vocalist/guitarist Glen Hansard / Photo by Laura Gray-Shapera

Pianist/vocalist Markéta Irglová, / Photo by Laura Gray-Shapera

Once comes to life at the Vic / Photo by Laura Gray-Shapera