Ryan Adams - December 10, 2011, Winter Garden Theatre, Toronto, ON

I adore Ryan Adams (That's "RYAN", the angsty singer songwriter, not "BRYAN", the Canadian summerofsixtynine guy.  I can't count the amount of people I had to make this distinction to when I said I was seeing him, and even the ushers guiding us up the stairs in the Winter Garden Theatre were directing us to the Ryan "Not Bryan" Adams show....wow).  I think Ryan Adams is a brilliant (and extremely prolific) song writer who pours his soul, insecurities, past heartbreaks, and life lessons learned into his music.  This is a quality I treasure in my favorite musicians - the cathartic sharing of experience set to song.    I enjoy him tremendously.  But prior to this show, I wasn't sure what to expect in a live setting.  I have read a number of reviews from past tours that commented on his insistence that the audience behave a certain way, and we were a bit apprehensive going in for this reason.  He's been portrayed as temperamental live (no clapping along, no audience interaction tolerated, and certainly no cameras or cell phones without incurring his wrath)...he has definitely been labelled as difficult in the past.  This was my first Ryan Adams show, and I was mentally prepared for the rumoured "attitude", but it seemed like a worthwhile exchange being able to hear him live.  Gotta say though...did not experience any of that - He was truly delightful, infinitely talented, and charmingly funny.  He put on an exceptional show.  I found myself smiling so wide for the duration that my cheeks ached the next day.  I'm still smiling as I relive. That's some serious long lasting enjoyment. 

The Music:

Ryan Adams is the consummate musician and as a result, the music was of the top notch, skin humming variety. What can I say? His vocals were effortless, yet flawless, but possessed a rawness to them in the live setting that cut straight into your soul. Opening with the hauntingly quiet "Oh My Sweet Carolina", he played a number of new and old songs spanning his vast catalogue of material, from his Whiskeytown and Cardinals days up to the new album, Ashes and Fire, (save the two I'd really hoped to hear "Invisible Riverside" and "Do I Wait"...but we did get "Dirty Rain" and "Lucky Now").

Watching him play his guitars made me giddy.  A favorite in particular on guitar had to have been "I See Monsters".  What a great song, lyrically and melodically..... but watching him pick it out on the guitar with such skill was a thing of beauty.

Due to some sound problems in the venue (a looping, clicky noise), he only did two songs on the Piano, but his piano version of "New York, New York" with it's slowed down tempo was absolutely beautiful, and I think I prefer it to the original.  

Ryan doing "Dear John" (with a little bit of his personality, pre-song...)


He closed his set down prior to the encore with his signature tune "Come Pick Me Up".  I love this song.  Such a well crafted song with a myriad of emotions portrayed... he really got to the heart of a classic shitty relationship - blatant anger at the other person for taking advantage, anger at himself for not having the strength to walk away, and an almost quiet shame for not being able to help wanting them anyway.  (Raise your hand if you've never identified with this one).  Was spectacular to hear live, a true musical moment for me.

And amazingly, after 2 and a half hours of completely enchanting us with his tunes, he said he only had a couple more songs and that he "was gonna let us get on with our night" ('cause really, like anybody in that room would want to be anywhere else!).  I was sad that it had to end.  But he did do an encore that included an acoustic cover of 80s hair metal band Ratt's "Round and Round" and finished off with the mournful "Why Do They Leave" with the warning to "not rock out too hard to this one"!  And on that note, his enjoyable quirky personality really needs to be featured, which brings us to:

The Ryan:

He was shaggy haired and casual, dressed in jeans and his Motörhead sweater (that's a "sweater", not a "shirt"....a "sweater"....more on that in a sec).  He was fidgety - legs constantly adjusting when sitting and playing his guitar, and hand gestures abound when talking to us, as well as constantly brushing his hair back out of his eyes.  You could literally see his thoughts going a mile a minute via his facial expressions and movements.  There was a lot of randomness that busted out of him that contributed to my enjoyment of him as a person.  He was highly entertaining and at times, comically self deprecating with a natural straight man delivery.  The Ryan Adams 'personality plus' so raised the bar of the show.  For instance:

• Attempting to tune his guitar (without success), raised it to face level, growled at it, then picked it up (along with the stand), walked it to the back of the stage and placed it with it's back to us....yep...he put his guitar in 'time out'.
• Mentioned (when having difficulty with his second guitar) that the reason they were misbehaving was likely because the two of them (the guitars) had snuck backstage together and smoked a joint.
• said that he was reading Bram Stoker's Dracula, and that it seemed odd to him that Dracula had such mad cooking skills in the novel and that he was constantly preparing food.  Was a recurring theme throughout the evening, with him even launching into an improv song about the feared Count cooking Perogies and Tator Tots.  (as a side note:  have downloaded the novel to my new Kobo... I think reading it in a Ryan Adams headspace will make it so much more entertaining than I remember).
• also improv, put his aforementioned Motörhead sweater back on and launched into a song (from the point of view of the sweater, of course) about how it was a sweater, and not a shirt, and how it was forced to "lie with him in his bunk" and that Ryan "pretended he was edgy, but he's not, he writes really sappy songs about how he fucked up this relationship, and fucked up that relationship and how his friends suck, etc., etc....".  It was pure comic self deprecating, guffaw inspiring brilliance that went on for several verses (with Harmonica bridge even!)

I could go on and on at his little moments of pure awesomeness.  He did interact with the audience a little (with signs of slight annoyance, but really, I was so "with" him both times).  A man continuously hollered to him throughout the first part of the show, to the point where when he went to the Piano and sat down and the man hollered out again, he actually turned around, sought out the man and said "You see this?  You see me looking at you?  Do you feel connected now?"  It was said calmly and with an edge of humor...but it shut the guy up.  And once more, when he pointed out to a woman in the audience and said "you know, there is a button on your phone labelled "taking pictures covertly at a concert without the 'clachik' fake camera sound.  Go to your settings...it may not be called that, but it's there".  He got his point across... in a manner I found quite humorous.  Good on him.  If that's the "temperamental artist" bit that everyone is talking about, I can only hope that more of my fave musicians adopt it when someone in the crowd is acting like an idiot, and/or that Ryan's future audiences perhaps develop a sense of humor.  Toronto was completely charmed.  Thank you Ryan Adams for an intimate, awe inspiring evening.

This was our finale show of 2011.  And as the end of the 2011 concert season is upon us (with a few shows already booked for 2012!), I've had a few people comment this year that they think the amount of concerts I see is a waste of money... that the ticket price we pay is too much for a couple hours of music when you could listen to the CDs in the comfort of your own home.

I couldn't disagree more.

It is now 21 days following this show, and I keep going back to the playlist I've made that duplicates the setlist from it, and for every song, I'm taken back to how I felt when he played it live. I remember the stories he told prior to particular songs, and re-experience the soul swelling goodness as the music courses through me. It's all subjective, I suppose, but for me, the live performance is one I feel for months afterwards....believe me, I get a lot of "bang" for my "buck". I can still capture THAT moment when listening to Ryan Adams' music now, so it lasts more than a few hours and makes me appreciate in a different way some of an artists' songs I may have overlooked before, makes me dive into previously undiscovered albums, and makes me appreciate them in a whole different way.  If you're the type that measures enjoyment in units of time, (I'm most definitely NOT), maybe this might give you some insight to why I love the live music experience (even if you think I'm wasting my hard earned cash).  Sooooo worth it, and such a great way to cap off the year.  Ryan Adams has been added to the "must see" list.

Setlist
Oh My Sweet Carolina
Ashes & Fire
Firecracker
Dirty Rain
I See Monsters
My Blue Manhattan (piano)
Two
Everybody Knows
Dear John
Let It Ride
Desire
Dear Chicago
Chains of Love
Lucky Now
Afraid Not Scared
“Dracula Cooking” (improv)
Please Do Not Let Me Go
This House is Not For Sale
New York, New York (piano)
My Winding Wheel
16 Days (Whiskeytown song)
“Motörhead shirt” (improv)
Come Pick Me Up

Encore
Round and Round (Ratt cover)
Crossed Out Name
“Thanks for coming” (improv)
Why Do They Leave

Jory Nash - Hugh's Room, Toronto, November 5, 2011



Putting on a trademark hat for the second set



"LC, I think you might dig him.  Kinda clean-cut/polished folk.  Make sense?  Think Paul Simon...meets Gordon Lightfoot...meets Joni Mitchell.  Incredible/unique voice and live performer...and wicked  lyrics.  He's a classy musician and full of integrity." - CW, giving me the introductory lowdown on Jory Nash, October 2009


"Jory Nash - he made me laugh, he made me cry and then he made me laugh again. Good times." - Jakki, post-show FB status update, November 5, 2011.
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The two quotes above, are among a long list of reasons you need to get yourself to a Jory Nash show....for the music, the stories, and the fantastic post show feeling you take home with you.  I've written about Jory Nash before, so this will be my second heaping of praise for his live performance.  (read my previous blog from last fall here).   I've actually had a hard time putting into words what I felt about this show.  Sitting here several weeks following it, I wondered why that was and why I couldn't just pour my thoughts out as I normally do for these posts:  direct brain to keyboard.  Maybe because over the past year I've gotten a bit of a sense of who Jory Nash is and how that relates to what he puts out into the musical universe.  I think he's "good people".  From what I can glean, he is a real, genuine, stand-up guy and an artist in the best sense of the word.  He is creative and limitlessly talented.  And this is a life to him, and not just a business.  So this post actually means something to me in that I want to get it right and more importantly...I want to get it "true".  What I can say without question, right off the bat without further thought is this:  I don't believe there was a single person in attendance who was not completely charmed by the man and the uniquely enjoyable show he put on.  He's just got that quality in him that draws you in, you know?

As with the last show, he made his rounds to chat with people before things got started, and I did speak with him briefly.  He made an excellent point about the venue, Hugh's Room, and how it is an important place for artists like himself.  It's the Goldilocks solution really - not too big and not to small, but "just right" for an artist like Jory who has a loyal following requiring something larger than a small bar, but not too large as to lose the intimacy that a show like Jory's absolutely thrives on.  Hugh's is a great venue that I really need to make a point of frequenting more often.

The show:

Some people are just naturally great story tellers and Jory Nash can count himself within that lot.  (See the opening quote of this post from Jakki...we really did laugh AND cry, and then laugh some more...a lot!)  While his stories are sometimes just extremely entertaining anecdotes between tunes, a lot of them also let you into his head on what the song was about and what it means to him.  (a peek inside "Joryland" as he referred to it).  And while the songs stand on their own, having a feel for what they mean to him personally was a great enhancement to the music.  Whether the tune be folky/western/gold rush fare, soulful/heartbreaking ballad, or just good times, the stories give you a feel for Jory as a person, what matters to him, and his thought process on the song.  This was a really enjoyable addition to the music...And musically, it doesn't get any better.  (ummmm....save for the banjo tunes.  I'm really not a fan of the banjo.  However, Jory himself acknowledged that a lot of people aren't when he picked his up and said "no instrument has the power to divide a room quite like the banjo.....except maybe the bagpipes..." (ha!)).  The couple of banjo tunes he did play were good....just not my thing.  (I can folk it up with the best of 'em, but the banjo edges over the Lindsay line...along with the organ...and the accordion, and the ukulele (unless you're Eddie Vedder, and then it's awesome)).  For the most part, Jory moved between the acoustic guitar and the piano, but even did a a tune a Capella.

I usually select pre-show a couple of songs I'd like to hear, and he did 2 out of the 3 I had picked out.  (Have yet to get "Oh Baby Call", but I keep hoping!).  "Careful How you Break My Heart", one of my favorite Jory tunes ever for it's heartfelt lyrics, deliberate enunciation adding to the effect, and mournful melody, opened the second set, and "Love on the Northern Side", a song that I have an emotionally affectionate tie to, absolutely slayed me live.  We were also treated to a few new tunes that have yet to be recorded and I really look forward to the new album next year so I can dig into these.  ("Truth" was one I immediately loved).  But the stand-out tune of the night was "When I walk out".  Jory told us the story behind the song, why he rarely performs it anymore because he needs to be in that emotional place to make it real, and why he was able to perform it at this show.  His raw honesty in his explanation hit home to all of us. When he began to play it, we knew he meant it from his core and the real beauty of the song and its meaning to him had everyone literally wiping away tears.  That's my kind of musician - one who feels when he sings, and I thank him for sharing with us and in turn affecting us on that deeper level.  'Cause that's what it's all about to be an exceptional musician isn't it?  The emotional connection with your audience?  The ability to truly "move" you?  (yes folks, yes it is.  In accordance with the unwavering laws of Lindsay's Music, I deem it so.)  The whole set list was fantastic and there really was something for everyone worked into the show.

As a lover of all things music, my genres of preference tend to be all over the place.  I like a wide spectrum, from hard and thrashy to soothing and meaningful and a plethora of things in between.  Jory fills a few niches for me along that spectrum... and a Jory Nash show is the high end comfort food of musical experience  - you leave it warm, filled with incredible goodness, completely sated and happy.  This man is truly the real deal.  Since my (above quoted) intro and subsequent dive into his stuff 2+ years ago, I've been following him, and he'll always be a staple in my musical menu.  I think that's the thing with Jory's stuff...once you've heard him, and especially when you've seen him in a live setting, you become a lifelong fan.  You know he's going to keep putting out quality music to keep you coming back for more.  But don't take my word for it, just go see him next time he wanders through your neck of the woods.  I promise you'll be glad you did.

For tour news, more info on Jory, or for links to album/song downloads, check out his webpage here:  http://www.jorynash.com. 

Set List:

-Girl from the North Country
-Again, Again
-Homily
-Blues for Monticello
-I Second That Emotion
-The Robbery
-Woodstock
-The Nighthawk
-An Old Invitation
-A Bit of Blue
-Charlie
-Spaz Loves Weezie

**Break**

-Careful How You Break My Heart
-Fly Me To the Moon
-King of the Dust
-Truth
-Love on the Northern Side
-A Lonely View
-Our Time Again
-Long Black Funeral Train (Audience request)
-When I Walk Out
-A Kiss for the Great Unknown
-God Don't Know me Anymore

Encore:
-Unwavering (a Capella)
-and a second bonus song, that I'm not too sure of the name of, but it was a silly, joyful tune involving candy following a side splitting lead in about Jory's brush with the law as a youngster....

Matthew Good - Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Toronto, November 4, 2011

Friday night I went to church.  Not the judgy, "fire and brimstone shall be your fate if you don't abide by our archaic rules" kind of church.  No.  I sought out a whole other kind of worship for the evening.  There was no alter...but there was a stage.  We were a congregation, eager to accept communion, and were at times respectful and hushed, yet mostly hollered out our "Amens" loudly and with great enthusiasm.  And at this church, God himself (aka, Matthew Good) showed up to deliver the sermon in the form of some kick ass rock and roll.  Halle-fucking-lujah!

We see Matt Good when he tours.  Period - no questions asked.  (When God comes to town...you go!).  This show offered a sweet deal of a VIP package...where we were guaranteed tickets in the first 5 rows of the assigned seating venue, t-shirt, signed lithograph, and the icing on the already deliciously sweet packaged cakey goodness... wristbands for a meet and greet with Matt post show.  We waited weeks to receive our tickets not knowing where our seats were, so you can imagine my delight (subdued word for freaking ecstasy), when the package came and we had scored front row center seats.

When we took said primo seats, we couldn't believe how close to the stage we were - we were going to be able to experience some serious extreme close-up action.  As per usual, we had a jerky couple behind us who talked through the entire opening band (Daniel Wesley, a band from Vancouver, who were really quite good!)  We were somewhat concerned, but it ended up being all good - he was a Matt Good disciple, so his outbursts were strictly worshipful.  There was one instance however, that the guy cracked me up completely... kept hollering out "Play 'Aspirations'", and when the band launched into "Apparitions", the guy was bellowing out his bastardization of the title at full tilt.  I know you shouldn't giggle in church, but once something tickles you, you really can't help it!

the show....

Some shows are about the entertainment...the sets, the costumes, the performances, the dancers, the light show, etc.  A Matthew Good show is strictly about the music.  (not that his "taken over by the music coursing through him" movements are not entertaining, mind you).  The show opened with "While We Were Hunting Rabbits" and was a slow, smooth and soul caressing introduction that steadily built.  The set list was constructed much like a Matt Good song.... slow and deliberate at first, but with a steady escalation in intensity to heart pounding sweaty breathless climax.  "Rabbits" was a treat for MG fans.  It's not a song that is frequently played live (due to length and complexity of vocals), but it was a thing of reserved beauty with Matt at the mic accompanied only by the piano, with the added ambiance of almost total darkness.  Hauntingly pretty.  And the audience was hushed and drinking it in.

Anthony on Keys

The show climbed steadily from there.  He did my favorite tune off the new album (the title track, "Lights of Endangered Species").  I find the new album is heavily instrument vs. lyrics driven.  Lots of different instrumental sounds as opposed to words telling the story.  In the live setting, experiencing them play it for us with the full impact of the musicians wailing away on their respective instruments gave the songs new punch, as expected.  "What if I can't See the Stars Mildred" and "Zero Orchestra", roused the theatre to seat dance (right on the edge, poised to stand) while eventually "Load Me Up" got us to our feet and kept us there with the follow up of "Hello Time Bomb" (with the audience singing along with every word).  These are familiar Matt Good classics that continue to hold up.  He has evolved over the years, but his catalogue of material remains relevant even though it is incredibly diverse and seems to cross a lot of genres.    Looking around the room, you can see the spectrum of MG fans.  Young, old, rockers, rednecks, intellectuals and rebels... his music is able to reach a lot of souls on a lot of different levels.  I like that in an artist.  The only problem I found with this is that you tend to get a lot of assholes in the mix - the audience was rowdy at times, which I embrace at a rock show, however, the idiot women hollering for him to take off his pants/take off his shirt/show them his nipples was just disrespectful and made me wonder why the hell she was there at all... are you there to hear the music or come off as a total bimbo?  Do you know anything about this musician?  but I'm pleased to say he was chatty and would respond to this bouts of ridiculousness with good humor.  I love when he talks to us because his stream of consciousness segue way from one topic to the next is mindblowingly funny.  For a guy who is really well read, and well informed on what is going on in the Political landscape, he really exudes sense of humour at times.  (I started trying to transcribe some of the funnier moments, i.e., the Justin Beiber hair rant, or the reference to Rico being constantly requested, but I can't do it justice without the Matt Good wit, expression and sarcastic tone to back it up, but you can get a feel for what I'm talking about in the short clip below).

Jimmy on Guitar

He is travelling with a new band (save for Milos, his bassist who has been with him for the last few tours), and they deserve mention.  Drummer Ian (who worked with him before in the Matthew Good Band), Keyboardist Anthony and Jimmy, the guitarist.  Jimmy was just awesome to watch - technically amazing, and obviously loves what he does.  I found myself focused on him for a great deal of the show actually (I know, I know, sacrilegious to be distracted from Matt, but he played a wicked guitar!)  Having followed Matt's fan pages, I was privy to the trials and tribulations of finding new band members and teaching them the material in a very short time period.  Pleased to see that the group of chosen musicians gels extremely well.  I really liked Stu, his former guitarist, but I LOVED Jimmy.  

Milos

Only disappointment would have to be that my two song picks going in were not played. There was talk that he would attempt "Prime Time Deliverance", and I was giddy with the excitement of the possibility, but no go.  Also, "Champions of Nothing" off of Hospital Music has been a staple in his live shows and it blows the roof off the venue every time, but wasn't a pick for this show either.  No matter - we were treated to an awesome set list, and the presence of "Rabbits" made up for any omissions.

I love Matthew Good.  This is obviously no secret.  And I'm a loyal disciple... I've had very lengthy discussions with people about MG's music and will champion it to the death... in fits of frustration at people who don't "get it", I've been known to tell them to go back and listen again....  That clearly they are just not listening to it "right".  And In keeping with the whole church/religion analogy, my faith in him is limitless and trusting.  There are times when he releases new material, where I listen, and I like it, but am not sure I completely get it...then I hear it performed live and it's like "ah yes!  Of course!  Brilliant!" The Matthew Good live experience is always a religious one, and last night this held true.  I can only suggest that if you don't understand Matthew Good, that you attend and see for yourself.  I have every faith that there is no way you won't be inspired and converted by the experience.

Oh, and the meet and greet?  For those of you who were wondering?  God is a sweet and friendly guy.  And he called me dear (Squee!).  And he smiled and told me to have a good night.  (Can almost hear him saying "Go in peace!").

Awesome, awesome night.

Set List:

Pearl Jam - September 12, 2011, ACC, Toronto

___________

"So?  Best concert ever, right?!  Right?!!!"

~ Mandy, post show.

___________

I was a Pearl Jam virgin. 

Not in that I've been completely untouched by them... only that I've never seen them live before last night.

In the early 90s, when they first hit, I immediately loved them.  I think "Ten" is one of my favorite albums of theirs, because it struck me at the time when the whole grunge/alt movement hit out of Seattle.  I formed a connection with that album because it was connected to a specific time in my life.  So I've always "known" Pearl Jam.  Furthermore, I adore Eddie Vedder - I really think that he is one of the living Gods of music.  He'll be one of the greats they talk about, no question.  But when I'm looking for something to listen to, they are not generally a go-to band for me, in the sense that I "feel" when I listen to them.  When it comes to me and music, this can change in a heartbeat... it only takes a lyric or a chord or a drum beat to unexpectedly hook me in and then I become obsessed with that particular band/artist.   It depends on my frame of mind and things I'm experiencing at the time in order for the "switch" to be flicked.  For Pearl Jam, I enjoy them greatly, but was never emotionally connected to them like some other bands/artists.  My love however, has always run deep for Eddie and that will never change.  He is a great voice in rock - in the unique way he sounds, the things he stands for, and his musical creativity.  It was about time I saw them live.

I have to say...I wasn't sure I was feeling it when they started out.  It had all been built up so much for me that I was thinking to myself that yes, okay, they were good, but it wasn't anything earth shattering.  Don't get me wrong - the music was good, Eddie was all high energy and amazingly fun to watch and I started to think that Mike McCready may very well rival Eddie as my favorite band member after watching him play.  So I was entertained, no doubt, but no goosebumps.

Then they played Dissident and things started to take a turn and they started to pull me in.  Eddie took a break to talk to us for a bit and relayed that the first time they played in Toronto was in 1991.  He said they "played 7 songs that night.  But we'll play a few more tonight...maybe 8".  (they played an epic 30 songs... 30!)

And my initial thought that Eddie Vedder is a musical God was bang on.  I've never seen a man exude musical goodness in the way he moved, the way he sounded and the way he just "became".  The man just goes with it.  Love it.

It did surprise me that there were very few moments of discussion.  Knowing the band and their involvement in a lot of issues, I thought they would be a bit more chatty.  They did mention the release of the West Memphis Three as an intro to the Fixer, and they teased us a little with the possibility of a Neil Young appearance for the second night in a row during the first encore ("Sorry, Neil couldn't make it - he had to work tonight"), but for the most part, it was all about the music.

And the music did get continuously better.  Seemed there was a massive build and I definitely enjoyed the second half of the show more than the first.  Favorite moments?  Do the Evolution and Alive got the crowd frenzied and it upped the energy of the ACC.  I also really loved Wish List, Present Tense and Light Years, and of course the cover of Baba O'Riley was mint.  But finally, worthy of honorable mention, they closed the show with Yellow Ledbetter.  This is a great song.  Here's the thing with that "switch" I talked about earlier and whether or not I'll grasp on and dive in in an obsessive way to a particular band/artist....  I have no idea what Eddie is singing in this song - the lyrics are a jumble of mumble-itis ("mumble, mumble, box or a bag" (?)).  For this one, it's not necessarily about meaning that turns me on, its very much about the auditory pleasure it gives.  I listened to an interview recently by another musician I really dig, where he explained that in the songwriting process, he believes that melody is probably more important than lyrical content - that the lyrics are important, but the "hook" of a great melody is what draws one in to give it a second listen...and then the lyrics keep you.  I was not sold on this concept initially, because my love of music is very lyrically driven - it can sound pretty, but if you don't have anything relevant to say, I'm not going to form a connection to it.  I think this is a good example of what this musician was trying to convey.... The melody or some other musical aspect of a song other than a verbal language consisting of lyrics IS what the artist is communicating to the listener in Yellow Ledbetter.  Love the bookending guitar solo bits in the live setting...performed ever so wonderfully by Mike McCready, sitting on a speaker for the ending notes, plucking it out solo while the crowd swayed beneath him adoringly.  Listening to Yellow Ledbetter with a whole new appreciation today.  That was my goosebumps moment.  What a fitting end.

Was it awesome?  A fantastic night of rock and roll?  Yes.  Was it the best concert ever?  Not sure I can give it that brand because I didn't have a non-stop emotional connection to it until closer to the end.  But I will say this - I believe my "switch" has been flicked.  I've been listening to Pearl Jam all day.  The desire to "re-live" always tells the tale.

Set List:

Go

Animal

Olé

Hail Hail

In My Tree

Sad

Dissident

Setting Forth (Eddie Vedder song)

Corduroy

Gods' Dice

Deep

Garden

Wishlist

Even Flow

Present Tense

Rats

State Of Love And Trust

The Fixer

Porch

Encore:

Last Kiss (Wayne Cochran cover)

Just Breathe

I Got Id (Cinnamon Girl tag)

Light Years

Jeremy

Why Go

Encore 2:

Do The Evolution

Alive

Kick Out the Jams (MC5 cover)

Baba O'Riley (The Who cover)

Yellow Ledbetter

Manchester Orchestra - The Mod Club, Toronto, May 16, 2011

So it's been a week and a half since this show.  And I've had a hard time finding the words to write about it.  (For those of you who know me, you are likely saying "who are you and what have you done with Lindsay?!  Generally, finding words is never a problem.  Reigning them in is usually the kicker).  I'm reminded of a conversation I had with my co-worker Mandy, also a music lover, who says she would have a hard time reviewing her favorite band's live show, because it would boil down to "They were awesome! (emphasis on the exclamation mark!!!  End of review)"  Have been kinda feeling like that until tonight where having listened to the new album on the way home my brain started churning and the floodgates have opened up!

I love this band.  Like, really, REALLY love them.  And it baffles me that they aren't so much bigger and well known than they are.  They have a great formation story, a fantastic group dynamic, and they are incredibly savvy at getting themselves out there to the public.  They have produced some great albums (for such a "young" band, they have a lot of very deep and meaningful material), and they are an eclectic group that have some interesting things to say.  They are a band that are right up my alley because the writing is from the depths of their souls.  They really mean it.  And a band that means it really does it for me.  Put more eloquently by Chris Shaban at the Far Beyond Footnotes 4 part article on the band, (and a highly recommended....no required (!) read to get the full goods on Manchester Orchestra in a very entertaining and freakishly informative presentation):  "Hailing from the area surrounding Atlanta, Georgia and weighing in at a combined weight of 5 dudes, Manchester Orchestra is the kind of band that doesn’t wear their heart on the sleeve, it actually removes it from their collective chest and places it directly in front of the listener".  A-Freakin-Men, Chris Shaban.  This is a band that bleeds its art. 

My attendance at a Manchester Orchestra show has been a long time coming.  I had a FB friend who a little over a year ago messaged me, saying it seemed I saw a lot of live music, and that one of his favorite bands was playing in Toronto that week and I should check them out. I didn't make the show at the Phoenix last year, but in further conversations with said friend, (he being the inspiration for this blog), I did end up acquiring, listening to, and loving Manchester Orchestra's material.  My first real post in this blog was actually a review of their stuff.  (read it HERE if you want to know how I felt about them having been freshly introduced).  Fast forward to a few months ago, eagerly awaiting the new album ("Simple Math"....listen HERE, then go get it!!) and word of a tour, there was no way I was missing their T.O. show this time around and grabbed tickets as soon as they went on sale.  Was pleased that the show was taking place at the MOD club - great venue for the vertically challenged in the grand scheme of Toronto bar type venues.  Open room to accommodate a sea of moshing music fans...but they have a balcony, where I can place my (elderly) "ass too close to the sidewalk" self in an elevated direct view of what's happening on stage without risk of bodily harm.  Sweet!

So settled into our primo balcony spot, we were ready for an evening of hard core music.  There were 3 opening bands:

Harrison Hudson:   I liked these guys.  Those who actually did the required reading referenced above will see that Harrison Hudson has ties to Manchester Orchestra from way back.  HH looked more like an accountant than a rocker, but they sounded great.  Drummer was extremely enjoyable to watch as well.  I've said it before, I'll say it again....there is really nothing more entertaining and enjoyable than focusing on a drummer going to it.  There was nothing especially attractive about this guy until he started pounding on his drums...and then I was mesmerized by him.

O' Brother:  (aka, Poster Boys for an Herbal Essence commercial).  These guys were absolutely fascinating!  They were hard core head banging rockers.  The singer/guitar player had a really great and unique voice, but the crowd pleaser was the bassist.  He had a long, flowing, shiny mane of hair that he proceeded to thrash around for the duration of the set.  We were absolutely hypnotized by it!  And then he spit sparkle dust into the air!  Twice!  (I'm not shitting you...he really did!).  As well as being entertaining to watch, they were a solid sounding band with a heavy alt-rock sound.  I may check them out further.

An Horse:  By the time An Horse hit the stage I was cranky.  It was already 10pm-ish and I was getting a little antsy to see the band I was there to see.  Get ON with it already.  They were good - consisted of an androgynous looking girl who sang and played guitar and a drummer.  Again, good sound, but enough already, bring on M.O. and I was willing to accept no substitutes at this point!  It was Monday night and I was tired and it was very closely approaching "pastmybedtime" on a night I had to "havemyass@mydeskat9AMthenextday" situation.  I was seriously fading...(not very rock and roll of me, but cut me some slack.  I'm a single Mom who works in banking to pay the bills...Rocker chick is my side job/alter ego.  When I win the lottery, I can do this full time....kay?!).
Enter Manchester Orchestra:

The moment they hit the stage, all crankiness subsided and every fiber of my being was wide a-freakin'-wake.  I don't know a band that can rock the hell out of our national anthem, but MO did it to open the show.  (and seeing a crowd full of alt rockers/Andy look-a-like/wannabes belting out Oh Canada at the top of their lungs put a smile on my face that stayed there for the rest of the night!)

They played a wide selection from their older, and their newly released album and the flow of the show was fantastic.  Andy would whip the crowd up into a frenzy with a hard pumping tune like "Shake it Out", and keep THAT momentum going through the entire set.  These were fans...they knew every tune and belted it out along with the band.

Tim

Jonathan

I didn't really know where to focus!  Chris was a maniac on keys and drums (and barefoot - I've never seen such expressive feet before!).  The man did not stop moving for a second...the music flowed through his body like a non-stop electrical current.  Robert rocked the shit out of his guitar.  He's a tiny little man...and the dude can play.  Jonathan kind of hung back behind Robert with the bass but I found my eye line being drawn to him frequently.  M.O. songs have a lot of very cool bass lines throughout so it was hard not to be caught up by him.  Tim Very on drums was putting on a class in awe inspiring intensity.  But it was Andy, as any good front man should, that held my attention the most.  With frantic guitar playing, and a spectrum of vocals from whispery to belt out screams, Andy conducted the band, and the audience expertly.  We, especially, were at his mercy, worshipping at the alter of Manchester O.



Robert



Chris



Andy "speaking" to an audience member....



Non-musical stand out moments:  Andy bent over to speak to someone in the crowd a couple of times.  And then came to the mic to apologize saying he'd witnessed some woman beating and that "he isn't a fan!"  (caught on YouTube during "100 Dollars" if you want to see it).  And, as the crowd became more and more frenzied and the moshing became more and more violent, Andy actually worked a plea into the lyrics of the song for the crowd to calm....when they didn't take the hint, he marched to the mic and said "I'm serious...stop fucking moshing!" then changed the lyric to the next verse to "I'm sorry we aren't a hard-core band".  There was no more moshing happening - the disciples were told and obediently stopped!  When your God speaks, you listen!  

Loved as well the comradery between band members.  While their lyrics are sometimes deep and brooding, you can tell they all really like each other.  Any life drama they endure may get worked into their songs, however, there is a genuine affection for each other that is plain to see.  Couple of moments of Andy and Robert good naturedly ribbing each other, and then them hugging it out.

Stand out moments of the musical variety (my oh-so-favorite kind!):

For me, my favorite moment had to be when they played "The River".  This tune was a stand out for me when I first heard the recorded version - it's a definite "build" song.  It starts out soft but layers into a blistering intensity.  Hearing it live was mint.  Andy worked himself into such a frenzy wailing away on the guitar and feeling the lyrics that he broke his strap and it clattered to the floor...but no matter, he picked it up, carried on playing and singing while the tech came and fixed it for him.  Even with the guitar a little out of tune from the impact, it was a mind blowing display and made the performance a little more raw and real.

Also, a lot of my favorites off the new album sounded fantastic in a live setting.  There is a lot going on stylistically and structurally in songs like "Virgin", "April Fool" and my current favorite off the new album "Pale Black Eye", and even the title track.  Stripped down for the live performance, they sounded even better.  Just goes to show that a well written song, musically and lyrically, stands up and then some when altered for a live setting.  Only tune I didn't really care for live was "The Only One", because they messed with the tempo, but even then, I can't say it wasn't good.  

In a fitting ending, the band (joined by members of the various opening bands), sent out the final prayer/blessing with "Where Have You Been" on a darkened stage.  It was an epic and frenetic take over their bodies display, finishing with Andy, alone, curled up in fetal position on the stage uttering his last note while the feedback of the guitar droned on.  Everything they had in them, blood, guts, soul, was left on that stage.  And in a tell tale sign that I was enthralled for the duration, I couldn't believe it was over, as it felt like it was about 10 minutes even though they played a little over an hour and a half.

 In closing (yes, finally...is anyone even still reading?), I do need to say this.....I had a conversation with a fellow music lover about Manchester Orchestra where he admitted that they were very cool in my various attempts to get him on board with them, but that they just didn't "viscerally kick him in the ass". I get his point - in order to love a band the way "I" love Manchester Orchestra, you need to feel that connection to them, where they reach you on an emotional, or "feel it in your guts" way. As a music fan who "listens to feel" as opposed to "listens to hear", I get it.... They just hadn't reached him. (Yet.  I shall keep trying!).  Love of music is not something you can quantify... it's a lyric that grabs your attention and means something to you, or a melody that sticks with you and draws you in as it flows through your brain.  Or an emotional punch of a piece of a song that you can personally connect with that opens you up to them.  It's not something you can achieve by watching a few YouTube videos or listening to a couple clips of songs usually.  You need to give in to a baptism, and it will either happen or it won't.  However.....  Had he been at this show, he'd have walked out a convert, no question.  His ass would have been viscerally kicked black and blue, and he'd be feeling the reverberation of it for a good long while.  There is no way you could walk out of this show and NOT leave having been affected on some deeper level.  God I love the live band experience!

Hallelujah and Amen.  Religious experience (of the musical variety) achieved.  (and then some!)

Set List:
(Note:  I have yet to find a complete set list for this show - the below are tunes I know they played, but in no particular order.)

Virgin, April Fool, Pensacola, Simple Math, Shake it out, Pride, The River, Everything to Nothing, My Friend Marcus, 100 Dollars, I've got friends, The only one, Where Have You Been.

Neil Young - May 11, 2011, Massey Hall

Neil Young is one of those musical treasures.  He is unique (his hauntingly beautiful voice is instantly recognizable to anyone, regardless of age) and is a true poetic artist who tells stories through his songs.  It is my opinion that we don't have enough storytellers in music today (a belief further cemented by our pre-show eat and drink at Jack Astors where repetitive thumping nonsense was pumped through the speakers for the duration to my supreme annoyance).  You may not dig Neil's sound, but I don't think there is a person around who doesn't appreciate the talent of the artist he is.

To witness Neil Young live, at Massey Hall (a place that other artists I've seen here even refer to with great reverence as "Neil's House") was a real treat...one for the books, for damned sure.

The opener:

Bert Jansch, a Scottish folk singer opened the show.  I have no idea if I liked him or not because I was tense with annoyance for his entire set.  I don't know about you, but when I enter Massey Hall, I am not under the impression that I'm sitting in my living room.  And when trying to listen to a one man with guitar folk act, there shouldn't be a competition for my attention between him on stage, and the guys behind me discussing their hot yoga class that day.  Loudly.  I was ready to throw down with these two.  I've said it before, I'll say it again...not into the opening act?  Cool - hang out at the bar until the act that you paid to see hits the stage or shut the hell up if you're too lazy to move your yoga toned ass out of your seat.  Have some friggin' respect.  And then...the people who owned the four seats in front of us showed up.  3 guys, one girl.  The girl and her boyfriend were obviously having some kind of spat.  The two other guys (the word "lunkheads" immediately came to mind) were a little too bulky for their seats and couldn't sit still.  At one point, Lunkhead A knocked his hat off his head and it landed in my lap.  To my surprise, he turned around and reached into my lap to retrieve it.  Seriously.  (shaking head).  Sigh.... once Bert was done, we headed outside for some air, sending up a silent prayer to the Music Gods that the crowd would behave when Neil came on.

Jonathan Demme came on stage to introduce Neil.  He was filming the show to round out the Neil Young concert trilogy.  He asked for the crowd's cooperation in interacting with Neil between songs instead of during, and having experienced the bad behaviour of the audience for the opening act, I figured he was S.O.L.  But I'm pleased to say that the crowd dug deep and found their respect for the artist about to take the stage....  There was a lot of hollering in between songs, and to Jakki's and my amusement, the screams of "I love you Neil" all came from men (!)

Neil:

Neil lumbered on stage wearing a straw hat and looking rather dapper, slowly picked up his guitar and opened the show with "Hey, Hey, My, My", and it was absolutely amazing.  We've started seeing some artists that have had decades long careers in the past couple of years out of respect for their legendary status and because who knows if we will get the opportunity to see them again.  I can honestly say that Neil Young sounds as good at 65 as he did in his prime...the voice is the very same:  haunting and incredibly unique, and the man still radiates a cool that artists a fraction of his age will never capture.  Filled me with pride that this jewel is one of ours.  He moved across the stage with laid back ease.  He was great to watch between songs, taking a moment to decide which instrument he was going to pick up next and ambling over to it.  The crowd was bent forward, watching, and his movements were slow and deliberate... and he always had a place to hang his hat while he took it off to either slowly and deliberately remove or put on the harmonica.  Just cool... best word to describe the man.  Cool.

He played a close to 2 hour set that was filled with old classics and a pretty hefty selection off the new album "Le Noise".  The new stuff  has a lot of more electric guitar driven tunes.  While I enjoy the album, I'm still a bigger fan of his older more intimate stuff.  "Down by the River", "I Believe in You" and "Helpless" were pure magic in the Massey Hall setting.  (Hear the audio only recording of Helpless here from his May 10th show).  But surprisingly, one of my favorites of the night was off the new album - "Peaceful Valley Blvd".  When he strummed the last chord, Jakki leaned over to me and whispered "Best History Lesson Ever" and she was absolutely bang on with that sentiment.  This one was presented to us with truth, sadness and bitter sweet beauty, and the sold out crowd took it in with a well deserved quiet respect and awe.

There were a few parts to the show that I didn't really care for.  For the majority of the electric guitar driven tunes played, he seemed to be experimenting with the sound by way of feedback coming off the amps/speakers.  While I say "good on him" for being experimental and respect the hell out of creative license, it just didn't really appeal to me.  During the encore for example, while playing "Walk With Me", he took his guitar and waved and twirled it back and forth in front of the amps to produce sound out of the resulting feedback.  T'was not pleasing to me.  I'm not sure if it was the venue (I've seen some heavy electric driven stuff in Massey and it CAN accomodate it), or the fact that I like my Neil a little more Tom Thomson than Jackson Pollock, but I personally didn't find it worked.  (I shudder to say that it sounded like "noise" lest I be accused of showing my age....but it sounded like "noise").

Every show, I pick a song I want to hear going in.  I love "After the Gold Rush".  Like, really, really love it.  But I didn't enjoy it performed at the show because he chose to play it on the organ.  I'm not a fan of the organ.  It reminds me of church.  While it can be argued that we were at the church of Massey Hall and worshipping at the alter of Neil, I find the choice of the organ took away from the beauty of the song.  I find organs tend to remind me of "Muzak", and what a horrible thought to run through your head listening to one of your favorite songs.  Again, poetic license and good on him for changing things up, but I'd have liked to hear this one, especially, classic.

And finally, as great a story teller as he is, there was only one short moment where he actually addressed the audience prior to playing "Leia" on the piano.  Neil is such a great story teller through his songs, I was hoping to hear the man speak to us in his non-musical voice.  However, this wasn't a huge problem for me as his work talks volumes and I was content to let the music be the voice for the evening.

An incredible night of music, with an incredible musical legend.  Even the lunkheads were filled with respect.  And if that doesn't tell you something about the man and his ability to teach us with musical magic, I don't know what does.

Set List:

Hey, Hey, My, My (Out Of The Blue)
Tell Me Why
Helpless
You Never Call
Peaceful Valley Boulevard
Love and War
Down by the River
Hitchhiker
Ohio
Sign of Love
Leia
After the Gold Rush
I Believe in You
Rumblin’
Cortez the Killer
Cinnamon Girl
ENCORE:
Walk With Me

David Gray - February 25, 2011, Massey Hall, Toronto, ON

We've seen David Gray before - recently actually.  He and Ray LaMontagne played a double bill at the Molson Amphitheatre in August. (see blog here) That show... ehhh, not completely enjoyable for reasons that were not the fault of the musicians playing that night, so we decided to give him another try, in a venue that was more suited to his genre.  Massey Hall is the right place for his genre of soul baring stuff.

We were late getting tickets to this show, so ended up in the gallery.  Good seats, you can see everything, however, gallery seats (the balcony ABOVE the balcony) are wooden and very close together.  I have very short legs and still felt folded in half and have a dent in my knee from where it was wedged up against the seat in front of me this morning...and the tall guy next to me resembled someone folded into a clown car so can't imagine how he feels today.  The contortionist position that was crippling me by the minute was a wee bit distracting and I'm paying for it this morning as every joint is launching a very vocal protest.  No pain, no gain though...I'm no artist, but I'm willing to suffer for the art of others.  :-)

Lisa O'Neill

David came out on stage to introduce the opening act (I've never seen that before...was kind of cool).  Lisa O'Neill, very Irish, was discovered by him on You tube.  She was quirky, and confident, and good... jury is still out on whether or not I liked her.  Her bizarre nature and enunciated delivery in strong voice was... interesting.  She did a cover of "Raglan Road" that Jakki (my true Irish music buddy who knows about this stuff first hand) said was the slowest stripped down version of the song she's ever heard...that it is normally a rousing 4AM drunk outta your gourd sing along at the top of your lungs song... Not having any particular life experience to the song, I found it very pretty in it's quietness and it was a sweetly mournful change-up to her comedic 'pluckyness'.

After a brief intermission, David Gray and his band arrived on stage.  As expected, he was all British dapperness decked out in a full brown suit.  He was downright shiny.  One of the things that irked me at the last show we saw was his polished buttoned down professionalism (before you balk with a "what the hell is wrong with that", let me explain...):  When I'm seeing a live show, I'm not looking for polished technique, I want the artist to let go, feel it, and connect with me on an emotional level.  (i.e., stop worrying about where you're gonna put your hands and just *touch* me already... THAT's what makes it good for me.)  The last show we saw of his, he was flawless, but it was all a little, well, cold.  He did everything right...it just lacked an emotional warmth in that particular sea of humanity setting.  But this was Massey Hall baby....Magic things happen in that building....

First few songs and he had already begun to let loose.  The man moves...he has a head bop like a bobble head, and a crazy spastic left leg stomp/twitch as he plays that is absolutely fascinating to watch.  Love it!  He's feeling it and it's flowing out of his polished British bod!

He sat at the piano for the song "Ain't No Love" and explained that he had written this one for a movie soundtrack.  Said that the gist of the song questions what it is that we cling to to get us through...is it love?  Or is it survival?  He thinks it's survival.  And as he launched into the song and got lost in it, he performed it so beautifully and with such feeling that it moved me to tears, no shit.  Hands down, my favorite song of the night.  Was my connection moment for sure.

The band left the stage and he took a solo turn with guitar (included "Flame Turns Blue" and a new, unreleased song called "It Accumulates").  In a venue like Massey Hall, where the natural acoustics of the room provide total magic like no other, I can only imagine how it must feel to be the instrument of such rich and beautiful sound, and to hear it flow around you.  It just has to make your soul right.  After the first song with him solo onstage, a band member started to walk back out to take his place... but he waived him back.  And performed a second song.  Then after that, held up his hand towards backstage with a "one more" gesture and a giddy grin.  (I know!)  He told jokes (yes!  He did!), had the audience laughing, and was full of smiles.  You could literally feel the physical happiness he was experiencing.  For a musician who I would generally characterize as very serious (okay...downright grumpy...dour even), I can't express how contagious the enjoyment was throughout the audience to experience this with him.

When the band did come back to join him onstage the musical goodness carried on, clocking in the show at a good 2+ hours.  A few highlights (for me):

They performed a foot stomping, almost ... country -fried version of Fugitive that was freakin' amazing, a jazzed up version of "Foundling" that I swear we heard him "scat" a little during, and a fantastic version of Babylon.  I LOVE the message in this particular song, but the album version with the "wakachika, wakachika" back beat leaves me a little cold.  They ditched this, and subbed in some jangly guitar strums to change it up and make it a feel good sing a long with a softer, more free feel that absolutely worked.  I took a look around the room, and the audience was singing along, with grins on their faces.

Would have loved to have heard "Nemesis", one of my favorites of his, and "Forgetting" off the new album, but unfortunately they were left off the set list for this show.  No worries, experienced ample goodness, and the tone of those two weren't really in keeping with the happy feel of the night.

Such a great show...I watched David Gray experience joy last night, as a musician, as a performer, and as a person.  And we in turn experienced it with him.  I often say that I worry about my favorite serious artists lightening up because I don't think the art would be as good...but now I'm not so sure having seen what I did last night.... Gotta say...He touched me, just the way I like it.  It was definitely good for me.

_____

Set List (not in order, 'cause anyone who was actually taking notes is apparently still in bed)

Only The Wine, We Could Fall in Love Again Tonight, Lately, Gathering Dust, Sail Away, Ain't No Love, Babylon, The One I Love, Flame Turns Blue, Hold On, It Accumulates, Fugitive, Kathleen, Coming Down, Foundling, Holding On, A New Day At Midnight, Davey Jones, From Here you can almost See the Sea, Babylon, This Year's Love, Please Forgive me, Sail Away