A little bit of snow (and of course Vancouver's notorious inability to function in the snow) wasn't going to stop me from making my way downtown to a sold out Vogue Theatre, for Dan Mangan's big hometown show. Especially because I was equally excited to see the opener.

That being La Force, the latest musical project from Ariel Engle. She was joined only by Evan Tighe on drums, starting off with a cover of Angèle Arsenault's, "Je Suis Libre" before going through songs off her latest, self-titled album.
She showed off effortless charm as she chatted with the audience between each, showing off her unique cigar-box guitar, as well as some fun vamping or ad-libs at the end of a couple songs -- or in the case of "Upside Down Wolf", a short medley of "Pump Up The Jams" and "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?".
Other highlights of the all-too-short set included the dark & tense "TBT", "You Amaze Me" which showcased her enchanting vocals, and the hauntingly gorgeous "Lucky One", which finished off the set.

Aside from as a member of Broken Social Scene, the last time I saw Ariel Engle performing her own music was as AroarA (with her partner, The Apostle of Hustle himself Andrew Whiteman) in someone's backyard after a promoter unceremoniously cancelled their show last minute. And while that show was special on it's own merits, it was much more fitting to see her playing somewhere like the Vogue.

It wasn't long after that Dan Mangan hit the stage with his band, kicking things off with the first song off More or Less, "Lynchpin". The evening focused mostly on the new album with songs like heartbreaking "Fool For Waiting", the amped up energy of the infectious "Troubled Mind", and "Lay Low", my favourite off the new album and what would have been the best song to use as an excuse for missing the show.
He also gave just as much time to his breakout Nice, Nice, Very Nice, as "Can't Not" segued into "Road Regrets" and the sold out theatre sang along, as well as songs like "Pine for Cedars", showing his roots with lyrics filled with references to the city.
Part way through the set, the band took a break for Dan to perform a few songs solo on his acoustic guitar, fielding requests for the unreleased "There Is No Such Thing As Wasted Love" and playing the soul-crushingly sad "Basket", before being joined by Carleigh Aikins for a beautiful version of "Indie Queens Are Waiting".

Dan was giving it all to the hometown crowd, and the crowd was happy to reciprocate, offering Dan an extended ovation when he mentioned the troubles he had writing this album, nearly bringing him to tears. But also making him laugh and lose his place in "Jeopardy" when someone earnestly answered the lyric "What time is it?"
There were also many times during the night the audience joined in to sing, including three in a row to end off the night as the main set ended with another old favourite, a slowed down version of "Sold". Then Dan returned after mere moments with perhaps the greatest Canadian singalong, as every single person joined in with "Robots".
Finally, the night ended with every single person that had been on stage coming out, including a horn section, and Dan wading into the crowd. He stood atop a chair, with the house lights shut off, and a large light he called The Hammer illuminated him, while everyone on-stage & off provided backing vocals -- and even harmonies -- for "So Much For Everyone".

It's been a few years since I've seen Dan Mangan perform, and even more since the last "full band" show, and I think I forgot just how good he is. How he can command any room, even a sold out Vogue Theatre, and make it feel like an intimate living room show.

La Force setlsit
Je suis libre [Angèle Arsenault cover]
Can't Take
Upside Down Wolf
You Amaze Me
TBT
Lucky One

Dan Mangan setlist
Lynchpin
Cold in the Summer
Can't Not
Road Regrets
Pine for Cedars
Lay Low
Which Is It
Race to the Bottom
Just Fear
There Is No Such Thing As Wasted Love
Jeopardy
Basket
Indie Queens Are Waiting
Fool For Waiting
Troubled Mind
Mouthpiece
Peaks & Valleys
Sold
(encore)
Robots
So Much For Everyone