As 2016 comes to a close...
So ends 2016. A year unbearably cruel to music makers and those who love all that they’ve given us. We plod on and remember those we’ve lost with unending fondness and we look forward with hope - humans can be good like that.
Time for the only thing that seems to bring me back to tumblr these days (I’m far to old to be in this space at this point and far too non-committal to sign up for a real adult person’s blog, let’s be honest). Here’s my year end concert round up. Quantity dwindled, quality did not.
Reuben and the Dark & Vance Joy - Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, Halifax (7 February)
Great Lake Swimmers and Elliott BROOD - Arts and Culture Centre (7 April)
Tim Baker, Len O’Neill, Jody Richardson, Ilia Nicholl - Inkwell Songwriters Series, Factory (28 April)
Kellie Loder, Jody Richardson, Matthew Byrne and Andrew James O’Brien, Ennis Sisters, Chris Andrews, Brothers in Stereo, Tim Baker, Alan Doyle and Bob Hallett, Matt Mays - YYT for YYM Fort Mac Fundraiser, Erin’s Pub (12 May)
Arkells - The Levee (31 July)
Arkells with July Talk - George St. Fest (1 August)
The Tragically Hip - Canadian Tire Centre, Kanata, ON (18 August)
Hayden - George Street United Church (22 September)
Gord Downie - Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto (21 October)
Gord Downie, Lou Canon, The Persuasions, Barenaked Ladies, Hayden, Amy Millan feat. Feist, Dan Mangan, Broken Social Scene - Dream Serenade 3, Massey Hall, Toronto (22 October)
Sam Roberts Band with Adam Baldwin - St. John’s Convention Centre (17 November)
Hey Rosetta! with Hannah Georgas - St. John’s Convention Centre (16 December)
Vance Joy was such a treat. Such Aussie cuteness you can barely stand it. And he released a free tour album after the fact that included a track from the Halifax show. Reuben and the Dark are destined for greatness. Getting to chat with ‘em after the set was an unexpected bonus. I tried not to gush, I did a little.
Great Lake Swimmers were just dandy but the absence of Miranda Mulholland on fiddle was felt. Elliott BROOD just don’t cut it for me live even though they are one of my favourites. That was the third time I’ve seen them and rated it a solid ‘meh.’ The venue didn’t really work for either band. Arts and Culture Centre for live music is a hit or miss, comfy but stilted.
The content of the Inkwell Songwriters night was super dark but I appreciated how they ran the show, a wee card told us that if we wanted to chat to head out by the door. St. John’s showgoers are notorious for talking through sets. Factory is a much-needed new venue for the City. Club One also came back into the mix this year so fingers crossed for more mid-level acts to make it town.
The YYT for YMM show was a bucket of fun despite the sad reason for being there. So much local talent packed into Erin’s. So much Guinness. So many good friends. It was a grand evening.
Arkells at the Levee! Couldn’t have been more than 40-50 people in the room including the band. All cause my buddy Charles waged a full on Twitter campaign to get them back to SJ. And Arkells on George! We finally found a high up perch with a deadly view for the Fest so we wouldn’t get crushed by the lively young’uns down front. High fives all around. And July Talk - whoa. Didn’t expect that kind of showwomanship. Never has a pantsuited singer captivated an audience like that on George.
The Hip. I achieved an almost 20 year goal by snagging a second row ticket. I fully expected to bawl my way through. Gord was so smiley happy the entire time that you couldn’t help but smile right back at him. Still didn’t see “Something On” live (and no, it doesn’t count that they played it in Kingston and I saw it on tv). I said I’d keep seeing the Hip until I see them play it live. That’s still the plan. #courageforgord
Hayden playing “Everything I Long For” in its entirety in a church with some of the best acoustics in town with some of my favourite people? Yes and yes.
‘Secret Path’ at Roy Thomson Hall. All the power that wasn’t there in Gord’s voice in Kanata was there in Toronto. The actions, the moves, the strut. The most emotionally wrecking but beautiful pieces of music. A story that begged to be told. Seeing the Wenjack family and hearing Pearl sing. A lump in your throat that shouldn’t go away. That show was a gift.
Dream Serenade 3 happened almost by accident. A last minute ticket purchase cause of a tweet I saw by Dan Mangan one day before I left for Toronto. It was the greatest night of my life. I don’t think any show could ever measure up. I fell completely and irrevocably in love with Massey Hall. Almost all of my favourites in one place, on one stage - that stage. It was pure magic. “Dream Serenade” couldn’t have been a more accurate title if they tried. I’ll search for that kind of feeling again for the rest of my life.
The 2016 Sam Roberts show was no 2012 Sam Roberts show. That was the unexpected front runner in a year of endlessly good shows. He would’ve hugged me during the finale except I was head and ears into my phone cause I was kinda bored and had no idea what was going on around me. Whoops. Adam Baldwin bears a resemblance to Joey Jeremiah that I quite appreciate.
HR! Xmas show. Townie tradition. Not quite what it was in previous years for a few reasons but official kick off to the Christmas season nonetheless. The cadets were a precious addition. Hannah Georgas, I’ve been waiting to see forever. If you haven’t listened to “Evelyn” from her latest album “For Evelyn” get over to Spotify/YouTube/iTunes stat. Song of the year, hands down.
And that’s the year as it was.
