Music Insight - News, CD and Concert Reviews - Concert Review

Concert Review: Vote For Change Finale Concert

Sun, 07 Nov 2004 23:05:39 -0800

The Vote For Change Tour wrapped up with a high-powered concert at Washington DC's MCI Center on Monday as a wide array of acts rocked the house in the name of political change. The acts have criss-crossed the country over the past weeks, playing 34 shows in nine so-called "battleground states", and attempting to convince music lovers to get out and vote in the upcoming US presidential elections.

John Mellencamp opened the show, performing hits including "Authority Song" and "Pink Houses". The lyrics to "Walk Tall" seemed to set the tone for the evening when he sang "The simple minded/And the uninformed/Can be easily led astray". It was obvious from the very beginning that the performers were there to entertain, but also to educate and inform.

Genre-crossing guest appearances and cover tunes were the order of the day. Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds covered Eric Clapton's "Change The World". Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and Keb' Mo' did Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth". REM was joined by Bruce Springsteen on "Man On The Moon", while Pearl Jam provided a passionate rendering of Bob Dylan's "Masters Of War". James Taylor teamed up with The Dixie Chicks on "Sweet Baby James", "Some Days You Gotta Dance" and "Shower The People". The Chicks' reach exceeded their grasp when they covered Dylan's "Mississippi".

Crowd favorite Bruce Springsteen opened with an ornate twelve-string version of "The Star Spangled Banner". "No Surrender", recently used by the Kerry campaign, made an appearance, as did "Born In The USA". The latter was once almost hijacked by Ronald Reagan's handlers, until someone told them that it was ironic and not patriotic. Springsteen was joined onstage by John Fogerty, whose incendiary "Fortunate Son" seemed tailor-made for the occasion. Michael Stipe joined Bruce and the E-Street Band on a thunderous cover of Patti Smith's "Because The Night", while his bandmates Peter Buck and Mike Mills lent a hand on "Born To Run".

The message-laden finale brought all of the performers out for a run at Elvis Costello's "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding", and Patti Smith's "People Have The Power".

James Taylor's advice for undecided voters: "Look at the two guys. Just choose the smart one."

Concert Review Summary Page

Sat, 25 Sep 2004 00:38:58 -0700

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"; print "We've been moving our content around, and this page replaces a page on our old site. Our new concert listings page can be found here";

Concert Review - Diana Ross and The Supremes - Return To Love Tour

Thu, 16 Sep 2004 18:04:10 -0700

Air Canada Centre - July 4, 2000
The Diana Ross / Supremes Return To Love tour came to Toronto Tuesday, and delivered a show that was both an utter success and an absolute fiasco. The tour was announced late in 1999, and was rumoured to feature Ross, Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong. Unfortunately, negotiations with these two former Supremes broke down, and Ross ended up touring with Lynda Laurence and Scherrie Payne, who were members of the Supremes after Diana left. And then there were the ticket prices, which were exorbitant. While the public might be willing to shell out the big bucks to see the Supremes, they weren't in a big hurry to buy tickets for this ersatz version.

The show began with Ross, Payne and Laurence atop an illuminated flight of stairs, in dresses that were a strange hybrid of ball gown and disco ball. Oh, yes, there was also a band. And an orchestra. And a small herd of dancers. With the onstage population at somewhere near 65, the ticket prices suddenly seemed so much more... reasonable. They opened the show with a crystal-clear version of "Reflections", delivered impeccably by Ross and her brand new old band. Next up were "My World Is Empty Without You", "Come See About Me", "Back In My Arms Again", and the set-of-love, featuring "Where Did Our Love Go?", "Baby Love", "Stop In The Name Of Love" and "You Can't Hurry Love". The audience managed to remain seated for the first four songs, but the relentless onslaught of fabulous Motown hits revved the initially cool crowd into a joyous, dancing mass. The army of musicians did a terrific job of capturing the beauty and power of the mighty Motown sound, and the vocalists gave a performance that was compelling and soulful. Ross seemed ecstatic and gave a powerful yet loose performance, laughing to herself on the few occasions when she flubbed the words. Leaving the stage for the first of many costume changes, Diana gave Laurence and Payne a chance to wow the audience with a pair of latter-day Supremes tunes. Diana appeared next in an outfit that seemed to feature the pelt of Sesame Street's Big Bird and belted out "I'm Coming Out", "Upside Down" and the theme to "Mahogany". The rest of the concert included a collection of Supremes favourites mixed with Motown classics like "(Reach Out) I'll Be There" and "Money". A breathtaking version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" was easily the highlight of the set's second half. Despite the poor attendance, the lofty ticket prices and the odd lineup, the show somehow managed to exhilarate the initially staid audience. Diana and her new friends had a ball, and so did we.

Concert Review - Steely Dan

Mon, 27 Sep 2004 19:43:13 -0700

Molson Amphitheatre - June 28, 2000
Steely Dan are an enigma. Somehow they managed a long, successful music career while avoiding the "album-tour" rut that so many other bands find themselves in. Their history was more along the lines of "album, tour, fire band, stop touring, hide away in studio endlessly crafting jazz-rock with (the most expensive) rented talent, stop recording". Donald Fagen and Walter Becker skipped the horrible drudgery of touring for about 7 years because they were too busy turning out masterpieces like "Pretzel Logic", "Aja" and "Gaucho". Then they went a step further, and got out of the horrible drudgery of making albums... Their fans endured a long dry spell from 1980 until 1994, when Becker and Fagen decided to resume touring after a twenty year hiatus.

Steely Dan's recent Toronto appearance gave the band a chance to get out of the studio and bring some of their finely-honed compositions to life. Since the band's output has required a lot of studio time and much help from the best session musicians around, Becker and Fagen would obviously have to find some extraordinarily talented musicians to help realize the band's diverse catalog onstage. And that's just what they did. The two studio whiz kids brought a crack team of ace musicians with them, including Cornelius Bumpus and Bob Sheppard on sax, John Herington on guitar, Tom Barney on bass and ace R&B drummer Ricky Lawson. Fagen spent most of the evening singing from behind his electric piano, while Becker happily noodled on guitar. The focus was on the entire ensemble, and Becker seemed amazed to be on stage with such a talented crew. Latter-day Dan has been heavily salted with jazz influences, and the show that was definitely not about serving up carbon copies of their greatest hits. Instead, players were encouraged to stretch out on the tunes and ordered not to play the solos as they were originally recorded. The audience enthusiastically greeted the show's openers, "The Boston Rag" and "Bodhisattva", despite the fact that Donald Fagen's vocals were drowned out by the band and the backup ringers, er, singers. A total of four selections from the band's latest release, Two Against Nature, were warmly received by the audience. "West of Hollywood", a brooding new track with a self-proclaimed "gnarly downside", closed the first set. The second set included most of the hits or almost-hits, starting with a lush version of "Deacon Blues". from Aja. "Dirty Work", sung back in 1972 by David Palmer, showcased the backup singers' considerable talent, with the girls each taking alternate verses. Impeccably tasteful versions of "Peg", "Kid Charlemagne" and "Don't Take Me Alive" closed the set. The encore started with a thumping, singalong version of "My Old School", and closed with "FM". Instead of hogging the spotlight and playing showy solos, Becker and Fagen seemed more interested in finding out what a talented ensemble could do with their tunes. The show was richly diverse and thoughtful, and Steely Dan's founders can be justifiably proud of their trip out of the studio.

Concert Review - Springsteen In Toronto - Day 2

Tue, 21 Sep 2004 14:56:25 -0700

Air Canada Centre, Toronto - May 4, 2000
Bruce Springsteen and his band were back with a vengeance tonight. While Wednesday's show was a great one, with a passionate delivery, an exuberant crowd and a setlist engineered for maximum pleasure, Thursday's outing managed to bring the audience just a little bit... more. Bruce's voice seemed stronger, and easily up to the challenge of the 3-hour show, where it broke up occasionally during the previous show. The audience's voice seemed stronger, too, and their willingness to join in gave Bruce and the E-Streeters a bit of a kick in the pants.

The setlist had been through some serious revision, giving the fans a taste of some seldom-played tracks. Where Wednesday's show included "Ties That Bind" and "Darkness On The Edge Of Town", Thursday's show opened with "Don't Look Back" and replaced "Darkness" with "Rendezvous" from the Tracks boxed set. "Arlington County" was replaced with "The Promised Land" and "Mansion On The Hill" was changed to be "Factory". One of the highlights of Wednesday's show, "The River", was a no-show, although Thursday's audience were ecstatic to hear "Point Blank", "Jungleland" and "Incident On 57th Street". The brooding, solo acoustic set was replaced by an acoustic full-band version of "No Surrender". Bruce's "preacher act" during "Tenth Avenue Freezeout" included a snippet of the Temptations' "My Girl" for his wife, Patti Scialfa, who recently rejoined the tour after being sidelined by a perforated eardrum (ow!).

The reunion tour will continue with 2 dates in Hartford starting May 7th and closing with a mammoth 10-night stand at Madison Square Gardens in New York City beginning June 12th. If these shows are anywhere close to the quality of the Toronto concerts, the fans will be in for a happy surprise.

Concert Review - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - Reunion Tour 2000

Tue, 21 Sep 2004 14:56:01 -0700

Air Canada Centre, Toronto - May 3, 2000
Bruce Springsteen opened a two-night stand at Toronto's Air Canada Centre tonight, and gave the sellout crowd a sweaty, hit-filled set. This tour is a special one, reuniting Bruce with the E Street Band for the first time in 12 years. Without a new album to promote, the show was diverse in content and tone, celebrating the best of his 27-year career.

Bruce and the band got things rolling with "The Ties That Bind", the opening track from 1980's The River. Next up was "Prove It All Night", featuring vocals by Bruce and everyone's favourite television mobster, Steven Van Zandt. After a sombre run at "Darkness On The Edge Of Town", Springsteen decided that the typically reserved Canadian crowd needed a bit of a boost. He launched into a fire-and-brimstone preacher act, jumping, sweating and screaming, "I can't promise you life everlasting, but I can promise you life right now!". It may have been a little corny, but it worked. The crowd leapt to their feet, shouting and clapping along with "Darlington County". They adored Springsteen's mammoth saxophone man, Clarence Clemons, whose crafty, soulful saxwork was showcased in an extended intro to "The River". Guitarist Nils Lofgren's added a manic guitar solo to The Ghost Of Tom Joad's "Youngstown". Frenetic versions of "Badlands" and "Out In The Street" were followed by an extended "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out", featuring Bruce's preacher-man alter ego doing a few verses from Al Green's "Take Me To The River". The band left Bruce to do a solo acoustic set, featuring "The Ghost Of Tom Joad" and a screeching, jangly run at "Born In The U.S.A.", with Springsteen playing 12-string slide guitar. After "Badlands" and "Light of Day", the E-Streeters left the stage, returning for encores featuring the mandatory "Born To Run" and "Thunder Road".

The ecstatic audience even managed to forgive Bruce for teasing them about the New Jersey Devils, who recently annihilated our own Toronto Maple Leafs in a little hometown jam of their own. Toronto gets the last laugh, though. Tonight we scored a great show from Bruce and the E Street Band, and a 3-2 victory over the Devils.

Concert Review - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

Thu, 16 Sep 2004 18:06:30 -0700

Air Canada Centre - March 30, 2000
CSNY came to town, and put on a fiery, epic show to an incredulous audience at Toronto's Air Canada Centre. 30 songs, three and a half hours, no duds. It's easy to dismiss Crosby, Stills Nash and Young; they haven't sold so well lately, they've had some harrowing personal problems along the way, and they're... old. But not too old to rock and roll, as the lucky ticketholders for Thursday's concert found out. The show was extremely long and diverse, and delivered quite a few surprises. The band strolled onstage at eight, and began the show with "Carry On". Their voices were strong and it was easy to believe them when they sang "rejoice, rejoice, we have no choice but to carry on". And carry on they did. Next up was a sizzling version of "Southern Man", which was the first sign that the evening wasn't going to be all harmonies and acoustic guitars. The next seven songs were a mixed bag, featuring strong vocal performances by Steven Stills and David Crosby. The band seemed to hit their stride as Graham Nash started "Marrakesh Express", and the vocals became stronger and clearer still . "Almost Cut My Hair" was a stunner. Crosby's vocal was heartfelt and extremely powerful, taking the band into an extended, incandescent three-guitar jam. This was followed by a satisfyingly crunchy "Cinnamon Girl", and then by a twenty minute intermission.

When the band returned, they launched into an acoustic set featuring "Helplessly Hoping", "Our House" and a creaky pipe-organ version of Neil Young's "After The Goldrush". Then came a crystal-clear "Guinnevere" featuring, you guessed it, an outstanding vocal performance by Crosby and Nash. Steven Stills returned and began a nimble and showy solo acoustic guitar number which led into "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes". The audience showered them with applause. It seemed like a rousing end to a great show. Except for one thing. The band kept playing, and playing, and playing... An impeccable yet warm version of "Teach Your Children" was followed by a pumped-up, electrified "Woodstock". Members of the audience slowly began making their way to the exits. Neil Young had other plans, however, and started into "Down By The River", which prompted Young and Stills to begin yet another all-out pyrotechnic lead guitar wailfest. "Ohio" was equally chilling, even if it has been about 28 years since the shootings at Kent State. Steven Stills led the band through Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth", followed by "Love The One Your With" and the show closed with a feedback blowout version of Young's "Rocking In The Free World". CSNY left the stage and the audience made as much noise as was humanly possible, hoping to get the band back for another song, while wondering if there were any left to play. The guys finally did return, with yet another tune that gave a capsule description of the history of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, "Long May You Run". A great finish to a surprisingly vibrant and relevant show.

Concert Review - King Apparatus

Thu, 16 Sep 2004 18:06:47 -0700

Lee's Palace, Toronto - March 24, 2000
Canada's kings of ska are back! The band has been lying low for the past few years, but the re-release of their back catalog on CD has prompted the Kings to end their Apparatus hiatus. The band's mini-tour brought them to Lee's Palace in Toronto for a packed show. The evening's mood was established quickly, as the band opened with their rollicking party anthem, "Non-Stop Drinking". Constant fluid replenishment proved to be a wise course of action, as King Apparatus rapidly transformed a club-full of stodgy Canadians into a seething morass of grinning, dancing fools. The crowd was operating under an equal opportunity dance policy, joyfully accepting new tunes "Ex-Darling" and "Switchblade to Soul" with the same abandon as veteran favourites like "Break Your Heart" and "Hold Me Down". Lead guitarist Sam Tallo's fluid adornment turned "Peyote" into a surreal Tex-Mex-ska hybrid. "Michael and Anne" was introduced by vocalist Chris Murray as "a song about the dead body in your apartment". The band wrapped their set up with "Tom Metzger's Big Plan", a euphoric run-through of their biggest hit, "Made For TV", and a faithful rendition of Desmond Dekker's "007 (Shantytown)". The band's light, eminently danceable music, coupled with their wry humour, make their live show a sure thing. See them if you can. If you don't manage to see them on tour, you can pick up their CDs on Stomp records in Canada, or Asian Man records in the U.S.

Concert Review - The Pretenders

Thu, 16 Sep 2004 18:06:09 -0700

Massey Hall, Toronto - March 1, 2000
Some rock stars seem, well, immortal. I'm certain that Keith Richards will outlive us all. And Lemmy from Motorhead is another music warhorse who refuses to fade away. The whole rockstar immortality thing is creepier with Chrissie Hynde, because she looks, plays and sings better than she did twenty years ago. And that's about all you need to know about last night's Pretenders show at Toronto's Massey Hall.

Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers, the sole survivors of the Pretenders' original lineup, were joined by guitarist Adam Seymour and bassist Andy Hobson. This version of the Pretenders did a sterling job, spotlighting many of the highlights of their 22-year career, including new tunes from their latest album, "Viva El Amor!" Hits like "Don't Get Me Wrong", "Back On The Chain Gang" and "Talk Of The Town" received spirited ovations from the capacity crowd. The sound was crystal-clear and the band's performance was proficient and spirited, but the undisputed star of the show was Chrissie Hynde. After a couple of decades in the music business, Chrissie can't be bothered to mince words. A shouted request for a song from her most recent album prompted Hynde to call the band over and announce that they had finally found the person who bought it. While she may have played tough with the audience, Hynde's vocals were strong and clear, and the wide variety of material allowed her to show off what is arguably one of the best voices in rock music. "Night In My Veins", from one of the band's more recent releases, wound the fans up only to have the tension released by a frenzied cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Roomful Of Mirrors". Adam Seymour threw out a great wall of incandescent guitar, Chrissie Hynde rode an imaginary Harley and the Music Insight staff celebrated the sheer sensory overload of the wildly strobing lights by throwing themselves to the ground, foaming at the mouth and baying like wild dogs. The band left the stage to a booming ovation.

The band had some unfinished business, and returned to the stage to play a throbbing "Mystery Achievement". The Pretenders closed the night with the two songs that put them on the map, "Stop Your Sobbing" and "Brass In Pocket". Hynde's renditions of these songs were stunning, and their delivery was sensitive, yet strong. The audience, realizing that the night was drawing to a close, cheered, stamped and generally bathed the band in a large helping of grateful applause. The band will be playing the northeastern U.S. until March 13th. Go see them.

Concert Review - The Tragically Hip and Friends

Thu, 16 Sep 2004 18:05:35 -0700

Air Canada Centre, Toronto - Jan 1, 2000
The Tragically Hip is arguably the best band in Canada today. While we're arguing, some spoilsports might want to point out that other Canadian bands may sell more records, or might be better known south of the border. True. However, the Tragically Hip seem to be a puzzle that only the Canadian record-buying and concert-going public can decipher. The announcement of their millenium stint at Toronto's Air Canada Centre was big news to Canadian music fans, and the shows sold out instantly.

The Hip like to share their success, and their festivals and tours usually include friends, neighbours, bands they like and bands they'd like to get to know. Their New Year's gigs were no exception. The New Year's Eve show featured Hayden, the Mahones, Starling, Sharkskin and perennial Canadian road-hogs the Rheostatics and the Skydiggers. The New Year's Day show spotlighted treblecharger, the Headstones, the Watchmen and the Cash Brothers, among others. The Music Insight staff, sensing a historically significant concert event, decided to cover the New Year's Day show. That way, they could spend New Year's Eve holed up in the highly-fortified Music Insight Millenial Command Bunker, watching people ring in the New Year in Denver and Djibouti.

The evening was grueling, yet rewarding. Cramming 6 bands into a 4-hour show would traditionally require 15-minute sets, but those canny Hipsters built a stage at each end of the arena, allowing bands to set up and break down their equipment while another band entertained. It worked wonders. Our evening started at 7:40, as the Music Insight staff arrived en masse at the venue. The first band that we caught was treble charger, a gang of Southern Ontario power-popsters whose show balanced material from their forthcoming album with crowd favourites like "How She Died", "Morale" and their signature song, "Red". "Red" is their masterpiece, channeling the ghost of Neil Young, and treble charger will toss it on every album they make until it becomes a world-wide hit. I'm not kidding. The band had a ball onstage, and their catchy tunes and goofy onstage behaviour won the audience over. The next band, the Headstones, feature Canada's toughest, most rock-and-roll frontman, Hugh Dillon. Hugh is one of those guys who probably gets up and has a breakfast of shoe polish and carpet nails. The band had a pile of great tunes, but technical difficulties saddled them with a ridiculously thin sound. The band bravely soldiered on through their short set, and then smashed up the stage and stormed off, looking for the sound tech's head on a platter. They also won the "most profane merchandise" award for their t-shirts (favourites with our staffers).

The same sound board that scuttled the Headstones' performance managed to muster a crystal-clear sound for the next band, the Watchmen. The Watchmen countered with a stellar show. Opening with "Stereo", from their recent release "Silent Radar", the band blazed through a set that included a magnificent rendering of "All Uncovered", "Boneyard Tree" and a new song that the band claim that they wrote a week ago. The highlight of their show was an a capella version of Tom Waits' "Heart of Saturday Night", which mesmerized the fans and earned a hearty round of applause. The next set was a short one from the Cash Brothers, whose rootsy sound proved too much for the more boneheaded of the Hip's fans, who heckled mercilessly. The band closed with a version of Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline", that had the less musically open fans screeching for the headliners.

Not long after the Cash Brothers left the stage, the fans got their wish. The Tragically Hip took to the stage, and delivered the kind of solid live entertainment that they've been giving since they formed in 1983. They whipped the crowd into a giant mass of crazed singing Canucks with old favourites like "New Orleans Is Sinking" and "Blow At High Dough". Not-so-oldies from "Fully, Completely" such as "50 Mission Cap", "At The Hundredth Meridian" and "Locked In The Trunk Of A Car" made appearances, as well as the Zippo song du jour, "Wheat Kings", which easily earned the title of the bic-flickingest tune of the evening. Vocalist Gordon Downie provided mid- and between-song stream-of-weirdness rants, and generally strode around the stage switching personas by the minute. First the singer was a baboon, then a prizefighter, then a majorette. He can get away with this because the rants and the on-stage plays are usually entertaining, and are often the place where the band fits pieces of potential songs together like building blocks. Some fully-formed new tunes were also debuted, so Hipophiles will be expecting to hear "Lake Fever" and "Music At Work" when the new album's released. The band wrapped up the show with one of the traditional closers, "New Orleans Is Sinking", and the crowd roared approval and left happy. The verdict? Yet another transcendant show by Canada's top live band. If you live in the U.S., and get a chance to see the Hip, go. If you live in Canada, you most likely already have.

Concert Review - Joe Strummer

Thu, 16 Sep 2004 18:05:51 -0700

The Warehouse - Toronto, Nov 20, 1999
The Best Concert I Ever Saw was the Toronto stop of 1982's Combat Rock tour by the Clash. The band imploded soon after, leaving a void that remains to this day. Fans of the Clash hoped for a reconciliation, a reunion, or at least some good solo albums. What they got was some interesting music from Big Audio Dynamite, and one lone Joe Strummer Album, Earthquake Weather. The public forgot about the Clash, and the Clash forgot about making music. A few years ago, the band enjoyed a resurgence of interest after one of their songs was used in a TV commercial. Clash music was re-packaged and re-issued, and rumours of a reunion started anew. While the rumoured reunion hasn't materialized, fans have had much to celebrate in 1999, with a new Clash movie, a live album, and a new release and tour from Joe Strummer's new band, the Mescaleros.

Which brings us to Saturday's Toronto concert by the Mescaleros. I expected a pale, sloppy, warmed-over nostalgia show. Joe in his latter-day Elvis mode, all overweight and out of tune, sweating and breathless. Instead, I found that the years have been kind to Joe Strummer. This year's Joe started the evening with a batch of new songs from his album Rock Art and the X-Ray Style. Put briefly, this album is Sandinista's worthy successor. It mixes elements of dub, rock, reggae and techno, resulting in a great album with a 90s sound. The new songs went over very well live, and the crowd quickly warmed up to new tracks like "Yalla Yalla", "Tony Adams" and "X-Ray Style".

Clash fans hoping to hear some of the old stuff didn't have long to wait. Songs from every style and every era were included in the set. "Brand New Cadillac" and "Rock the Casbah" were played early, and were well received, but the audience really came alive after "London Calling", "Safe European Home", "White Man in Hammersmith Palais" and "Pressure Drop". Encores included "Straight to Hell", "Tommy Gun" and "Bankrobber". It may not have been the Clash playing, but Joe and his band gave the kind of passionate performance that the songs deserved. If you're a Clash fan, but couldn't make the show, you can still catch the band on the Conan O'Brien show on November 25th.

Concert Review - Bryan Ferry

Thu, 16 Sep 2004 18:04:31 -0700

Massey Hall, Toronto.
Die-hard Roxy Music fans who attended the Tuesday's Bryan Ferry show hoping to hear their favourite Roxy tunes most likely left the show disappointed. You see, Bryan isn't exactly out there catering to his fans who are living in the 80s. He's more interested in the 30s. His latest album, As Time Goes By, includes 15 tracks originally recorded in the 1920s and early 30s. Ferry interprets tunes made famous by Cole Porter, Marlene Dietrich and George Gershwin. They are given a light, acoustic jazz treatment and sent on their way.

Tuesday's show began with a harp solo played by a solitary woman (a harpist? harper? harpy?). She was soon joined by a string quartet, a horn section, pianist, and finally the traditional bass, guitar and drums. Ferry's opening track, "The Way You Look Tonight", was performed with a subtle, vintage feel. The show continued in this vein, with richly rendered versions of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Carrickfergus", "Havana Moon", as well as some of the more obscure Roxy cuts. The band didn't really rock, which was actually a good thing. Aging musicans rarely capture the vitality of their early years, but Ferry and his ensemble proved that old standards, lovingly and skilfully presented, can easily stand the test of time. His talented band and his love for the material helped breathe new life into some very old songs.

Bryan then entered the "we gotta play..." section of the evening. Depression-era covers were replaced by makeout tunes of the 80s, with faithful renderings of "Avalon", John Lennon's "Jealous Guy" and a lively "Let's Stick Together". The crowd responded with some "we've sat politely through your covers, we even clapped. If you don't play Do The Strand, we may riot"-type applause. So he played "Do The Strand", and the fans went home happy.

If you're wondering whether you should see Bryan Ferry on his current tour, keep the following points in mind. You'd better not expect to hear lots of Roxy Music cuts. There will be trombone and harp solos. Your grandmother will probably know more of the lyrics than you do. And finally, remember that Ferry's CD releases are few and far between , and his tours are even more rare. Miss him this time, and you might wait more than a few years for him to return.

Concert Review - John Prine

Thu, 16 Sep 2004 18:05:15 -0700

Convocation Hall, Toronto Ontario
The 90s have spawned a new breed of pre-fab pop superstars, and John Prine isn't one of them.

I wasn't surprised when a man walked up to me a half-block away from Toronto's Convocation Hall and asked me if I had a spare John Prine ticket. The show had obviously sold out, and this poor guy missed his chance to buy. A moment later, another person came up, then another, then a small collection, all looking for some kind soul with spare tickets. For John Prine? I guess he's not as obscure as I once thought. We may not see his face on supermarket tabloids, or catch him performing at every music awards show, but the fans who managed to snag tickets to his recent show were numerous and extremely lucky.
The headliner was even more fortunate.

His 4 year absence from Toronto was largely due to his taking some time off to battle cancer. He underwent surgery to remove a tumor in his neck in early 1998, and with the help of his family and friends, made a full recovery.

He took the stage to a noisy standing ovation, and blazed through his opening song, John Prine explained that he didn't get up to Toronto as often as he used to, but since he was here he'd be willing to stay a long time. And he did. The set that followed was a varied one, taking his band through a setlist that spanned his entire career. John left the drummer at home, giving his backing band, guitarist Jason Wilbur and bassist David Jacques a chance to put a new gloss on many of the songs. "You Got Gold" was renovated with broad washes of guitar, while "All The Best" got a less-is-more treatment that gave room for the song's heart to shine through.

The band took a break, and John ran through an 8 song set of solo acoustic performances of his old favourites, starting with "Dear Abby"and "Illegal Smile" and finishing with "Sam Stone".

After the band returned, he played some songs from his new album, In Spite of Ourselves. John described it as an album of "old hurtin' songs", recorded as duets with his favourite female country stars. Since none of them happened to be in Toronto, John got in touch with his feminine side and sang both parts. "When Two Worlds Collide" was a bittersweet ballad with lap-steel frosting, while the title cut continued his tradition of mixing poignancy with goofiness.

All told, a varied and lively evening, with a more intimate flavour than his 1995 Convocation Hall appearance. Hopefully, it won't be 4 years until he comes back. To tide you over, you can catch John at the movies later this year, when he appears with Billy Bob Thornton in "Daddy and Them".

Concert Review - Squeeze

Thu, 16 Sep 2004 18:04:53 -0700

The Guvernment, Toronto
I think that the Squeeze CD, "Singles - 45's and Under" should be required listening at Pop-Star U. The best of Squeeze is very good, indeed, and the songwriting of Chris Difford and Glenn Tillbrook has been praised by critics for the past 21 years. These guys mix great pop melodies and clever lyrics, and consistently end up with music that should be topping the charts.

Unfortunately, quality doesn't necessarily guarantee a place on MTV, and today's top acts seem to coast more on looks, dancing or attitude than on skill. In a world where Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock and the Backstreet Boys are chewing up valuable airplay, Squeeze sells relatively few records. Their tours do much better, and fans who make it to the shows are usually glad they went.

My first Squeeze concert was in 1985. It was a reunion tour for a band that had broken up 3 years earlier. They reunited for a charity show, found that they could still work their old magic and decided to re-form. The album that followed was 1985's "Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti". I attended the Toronto stop of the ensuing tour. Squeeze had a vast reserve of hits to choose from, and mixed in some great tunes from their new album. It was a show that every 80's teenage music-fan could love.

14 years and 7 releases (not counting anthologies) later, they've still got what it takes to send the crowd away happy. The band mixed songs from their latest release, "Domino", with plenty of tracks from earlier years. They served up "Tempted", "Black Coffee in Bed", "Annie, Get Your Gun" and more from their first 5 albums. I must admit that I haven't picked up a new Squeeze release since 1989's "Frank", but the band's performance of recent tunes like "Some Fantastic Place", "3rd Rail" and "Domino" will probably have me back in the music stores, prowling for product. Founder Glenn Tillbrook was joined by drummer Ash Soan, bassist Hilaire Penda and keyboardist Chris Holland, and this latest incarnation managed to bring a new vitality to songs old enough to be served alcohol. Which brings us to Chris Difford, the other half of Squeeze's powerhouse songwriting team. He skipped the latest round of shows, hoping to avoid the temptations of touring. Although the band gave it their all, there were occasional moments where an absent vocal harmony, or a missing guitar interchange reminded us of the tremendous effort required to fill Difford's shoes.
Squeeze will be touring through the Eastern United States until the end of October, and fans who attend won't be disappointed.