Twice in his first 15 minutes at a full Smoothie King Center on Tuesday, Hozier mentioned joy. It was a “joy to be back” in New Orleans. It was “a privilege and a joy” to fill such a large arena.

Hozier has a funny way of showing joy. For the most part, he doesn’t.

Late in the set, security escorted him along the edge of the standing-room-only crowd to a small “B” stage at the rear of the arena floor. On the way back, he held out his hands to high-five joyous fans. But in the midst of all this adulation, he never so much as cracked a smile.

Sure, he'd grin briefly when the music reached an especially satisfying peak. But he mostly came across as an especially serious sort of Irishman. He makes his countryman Bono, who is also prone to taking up causes, seem like David Lee Roth by compar

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