Hozier Thought About Taking a Long Break

As the sky fades from orange to pink over Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York, in early June, 13,000 people stand, enraptured by Hozier’s presence. When the Irish singer-songwriter motions for them to sing, they comply. When he moves through the crowd to reach the B stage, everyone follows his towering ­six-foot-five-inch figure. It’s the first of his four sold-out shows here, and he opens it with “Too Sweet,” the ubiquitous hit that topped the Billboard Hot 100 three weeks after it came out in March and became the musician’s highest charting entry since he first broke through with the gospel-infused anomaly “Take Me to Church” in 2014.