After filtering in and out of Chicago with various bands and agendas, Glen Hansard spent last Tuesday night with a sold-out crowd at the Vic Theatre. But this time, he wasn’t the front man of a rough-and-tumble rock band (The Frames) or the lovesick crooner singing alongside his ex-lover (The Swell Season). This time, Hansard was an island out on that lonely stage, blinded by glaring spotlights and deafened by an energized crowd.

It may have been the pressure of his catapulted fame resulting from his starring role in the 2006 film “Once,” or the anxiety of finally breaking out as a solo artist after 30 years as a professional musician (he dropped out of school at 13 to busk on the streets of Dublin); Glen Hansard walked out on The Vic’s stage with expectations looming overhead like dark, leaden storm clouds. But the minute he sauntered on stage, his head bobbing low and clad in a knit beanie, making a beeline for a piano tucked away on stage, Hansard was in his element. He began with delicate pangs and emotional delivery for a heartbreaking ballad “The Storm, It’s Coming” and brought the raucous crowd to an utter standstill.

Hansard may have been promoting his recent debut solo album “Rhythm and Repose,” but the Irish singer-songwriter wasn’t left alone to make all the noise. Composing a massive nine-piece backing band including a soulful horn section, The Frames band mates flanked Hansard and, occasionally, opening act Lisa Hannigan. In what could have been an overwhelming clash of noise and egos, Hansard’s band coalesced into a euphoric ocean of sound, allowing their star to seize the stage with his raw emotional nerve and unrelenting guitar strums.

Keeping the emotional tension high, Hansard played through old favorites from the “Once” soundtrack including delightfully ear-drum bursting wailer “Leave.” With each wrenching song after the other, it was evident in Hansard’s eyes that he was reliving the events that inspired his art. The pain, the elation, the confusion; it was all a tale of human vulnerability unfolding before the crowd.

The set continued with Swell Season originals sans his former musical and romantic partner Mark?