Joel Plaskett - One Real Reveal On Wheels @ St James -- September 20, 2024

Last year, Joel Plaskett hit the road for his One Real Reveal On Wheels tour, in celebration of the eponymous album, One Real Reveal. The tour hit a lot of intimate venues (even multiple dates in some towns, including the previous night in Vancouver at The Cultch) and along with a “no cell phones” rule in place, I was asked not to share much until the tour finished — which was originally going to be last December, but Joel had to postpone a few shows, and so the tour finally wrapped up in last night in London, Ontario

The stage at St James Community Square was adorned with two projection screens, flanked by curtains, and a big red armchair in the middle of the stage. With no opener, Joel Plaskett came out and took a seat, guitar in hand, kicking off with “Let Me Go, Jo” off the new album. From there, the first half of the show spun through songs new and old, as well as pictures and stories from Joel. He talked about everything from his past, to friends – those still around and those lost – to his wife, his songs, and stories about criss crossing Canada. The whole slideshow was not preprogrammed, but off the cuff from his cell phone (Joel acknowledging the irony) which meant that everything was off the cuff, and he could riff or even add photos and video in real time, ensuring every night would be unique.

Joel remained on the big armchair for the first set of the evening, heightening the intimate vibe of the show, switching between guitars, a bouzouki, and tenor banjo as he hit songs from the new album; the hazy “High Summer” and “Rainy Day Janey” which featured video backup guitar & vocals from some friends, including Mo Kenney. He also dove into his back catalogue, with favourites like “Absentminded Melody” or “True Patriot Love”, which had folks singing along, and a tribute to an old friend “Matthew Grimson Songs”. The set came to an end with the rollicking “Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’” which got boots stomping in the room.

The second half of the evening started as the screens flickered to life to show a live feed from backstage. Before the break, Joel asked for his friend Bill, and the video started with him playing piano while Joel recited “The New Joys”, a spoken word track from the new album. BUT, he got at least a few people in the crowd when, near the end, real-time-Joel took the stage providing layered vocals to pre-recorded-Joel.

With the armchair gone, the second set of the evening was a bit more lively, but still included more photos, banter, and storytelling. He set up “I'm Yours” with the story of meeting his wife, dedicated “Tim” to his lost friend Miniature Tim, and and wove some backstory into “Love This Town”. After dedicating “Soundtrack For The Night” to CBC’s Grant Lawrence, in the audience, he capped off the main set with a big singalong to “Nowhere With You”.

But he wasn’t going to fool the room again, and everyone knew he would be back, taking a request for “Extraordinary”, the first song to feature the record player on stage, as he dropped the needle to provide the backing instruments. After a couple more stories, he ended the night with two more big group singalongs, “Hey Moon (A Campfire Song)” and “Iona”.

I’ve always enjoyed shows in this format; acoustic or solo gigs with the performer just chatting with the crowd between songs. And it especially works when it’s with someone as charming and as good a storyteller as Joel Plaskett. He was candid, funny, and heartwarming – even explaining part of the reason for his ‘no cell phone’ policy is that the stories were meant for the people in the room – and I could have listened to him talk (and sing) all night.

setlist
Let Me Go, Jo
High Summer
Blind Spots
Breezy Jane
One Real Reveal
Absentminded Melody
True Patriot Love
Matthew Grimson Songs
Fall Guy
Rainy Day Janey 
Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’
[intermission]
The New Joys
Variations on a Theme
I’m Yours
Love This Town 
Tim
Soundtrack For The Night
Nowhere With You
[encore]
Extraordinary
Hey Moon (A Campfire Song)
Iona

Live Music Photography by Christine McAvoy

Sam Lynch @ Fox Cabaret -- December 04, 2024

Almost exactly a year ago, I saw Sam Lynch opening a show at the Hollywood Theatre for Hannah Georgas. I had seen her a few times before, but that night she previewed some new songs she had been working on for an upcoming album that really caught my ear. I made a mental note to keep a look out for it, and flash forward a year, Outline is in the world and Sam was celebrating with a show at the Fox Cabaret.

Unfortunately due to a busy evening, I missed opener Talel McBriar, arriving shortly before Sam Lynch took the stage. She was joined by some familiar Vancouver faces; Lilli Carr (guitar), Sean Wharton (keys), Joshua Contant-Perdue (drums), and Alex Maunders (bass), with Sam Davidson (clarinet) joining them later in the set.

Lynch talked about celebrating the new album, but also remembering the past and looking to the future, so the set started with some older tracks, kicking off with “Good Year” and a few others from her previous album Little Disappearance. Her indie-folk sound and captivating vocals driving songs like “Off the Rails”, and after a few, the band took a break for Sam to play a brand new tune on her own.

Then it was time to spotlight the new album, Outline, starting with “All the Life”. Sam’s emotions poured out on songs like the haunting “Hurt” and my favourite of the album, “Doing My Best”, which built to an ending that featured Lynch letting loose on vocals. Performing the album front to back, other highlights included the breathless “Getaway Car” and heartwrenching “Piece of You”, which lead into the final song of the album, “Moth” building to an intense finish.

The main set wrapped up with the simmering intensity of “Keeping Time” before Sam was quickly pulled back for one more. Joined only by the album’s co-producer Sean Wharton, she introduced the final song as one of his, a gorgeous tune that had their voices intertwining beautifully.

Throughout the show, Sam Lynch was very clearly grateful for the crowd — who were very attentive the whole show — and confessed that this was her first time headlining ever*. And after that show, it certainly won’t be the last.

(*in a full circle moment for me, the first time I saw her play was at the Fox!)

setlist
Good Year
Darkest Places
Off the Rails
Garden
[new song]
All the Life
Hurt
Doing My Best
Intermission
Getaway Car
Teeth
Piece of You
Moth
Keeping Time
(encore)
[Sean Wharton song]

Kathleen Edwards @ Biltmore Cabaret -- November 23, 2024

It’s been a minute since the last time I saw Kathleen Edwards perform live, so I was very excited to see she was coming back to Vancouver. Especially since the show would be at the Biltmore Cabaret, which (unsurprisingly) sold out almost instantly.

Opening the show was folk singer-songwriter Ken Yates, as I arrived a little bit into his set, his smooth voice crooning out “Surviving Is Easy”. From there he teased some new songs from his upcoming album, as well as older ones like “Quiet Talkers”, the title track to his 2020 album. He finished off with a song about existential dread (“because, why not?” he joked) called “The Big One”, and was a perfect opener to set the stage for the evening.

It wasn’t long then before Kathleen Edwards came out with her guitar, flanked by her bandmates joining on guitar and keyboards, launching into “Glenfern” from her last full length album, Total Freedom — slyly changing the line about playing at the Horseshoe to playing Richard’s on Richards. She followed that up with “Empty Threat” which had the crowd singing along, not for the last time in the evening, and with Edwards sporting a huge grin when she heard everyone joining in.

From there, her set spanned her career, back to the beginning with the breakout hit “Six O’Clock News”; to the hauntingly beautiful “A Soft Place to Land” and the sold out room once more softly singing along; up to her latest release, a cover of John Prine’s “Hello in There”.

Between songs, Kathleen chatted with the crowd, telling stories behind songs like “Empty Threat” and teasing an upcoming album with the new song “Little Red Ranger” (or the alternate title, “The Leafs Still Suck”) which was about a bandmate who moved to LA, and even opening up about some of the rough patches in her career.

Partway through the set, Edwards was joined by Ken Yates for a few songs, including the emotionally heavy “Asking for Flowers”, before the main set wrapped up with “In State”. But the packed room was eager for more, as she returned for one of my favourites, the raw emotion of “Change the Sheets” and one final gorgeous singalong to “Options Open”.

The last couple times I’ve seen Kathleen Edwards perform were both at the Vancouver Folk Festival (seven and eleven years ago, geez) so it was an absolute joy to see her play an intimate show at a venue like the Biltmore. She ended up playing around an hour and a half, but with her effortless charisma and incredible songwriting, I definitely could have listened to her sing all night.

setlist
Glenfern
Empty Threat
Who Rescued Who
A Soft Place to Land
Hello in There [John Prine cover]
Chameleon/Comedian
Six O'Clock News
Hockey Skates
12 Bellevue
Little Red Ranger (The Leafs Still Suck)
Burn The Cedar, Burn The Sage
Asking for Flowers
Mercury
Hard on Everyone
In State
(encore)
Change the Sheets
Options Open

Arkells @ Rogers Arena -- November 15, 2024

I’ve never made it a secret that I’m not super fond of arena shows. The last time I had been to a show at Rogers Arena was 2011 (Foo Fighters!) and since then I’ve only been to three other arena shows. But, funny enough, two of those were one of the few bands that would get me to an arena: Arkells. So even though it was a busy weekend in Vancouver, when they came back to town on their Big Feelings Tour, it was a no-brainer to see one of the best live bands in Canada.

Opening the night was K.Flay, backed with just a drummer & guitarist, she opened the set with “Are You Serious?”, as she danced through her high energy alt-pop songs.
Partway thought the set, she picked up her own guitar for “Weirdo” and my fave of the set, her 2016 hit “Blood in the Cut”, which segued into a cover of Green Day’s “Brain Stew”.
After her latest single “Punisher”, she capped off the set with the lockdown anthem “Zen” and “High Enough” for a solid opening set to get people energized for Arkells.

It wasn’t long after that the lights dimmed and hand-held searchlights light up on stage, scanning the crowd as the five members of Hamilton’s Arkells took their places: frontman Max Kerman joined by Mike DeAngelis on guitar, Anthony Carone on keys, bassist Nick Dika and drummer Tim Oxford.

Kicking off with the slow-burning “Come To Light”, and not wasting any time inviting K.Flay back for their collab “You Can Get It”, the band came out of the gate hard. As always, Max was a ball of energy, rarely slowing down for a moment. But he also made sure everyone on stage getting their own time to shine; like Anthony’s piano solo going into “People’s Champ”, where Max also introduced the Northern Soul Horns section, while they slipped in a little bit of “Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough”.

After the raucous “Relentless”, the energy came down for a moment early in the set, as a string interlude transitioned the set to be a little more intimate. With a black curtain cutting off most of the stage, the band huddled up for a few acoustic tracks. First, they took a request from a couple that was just married, playing “Show Me Don’t Tell Me” for them, before “Quitting You” and “Skin”, which started with just Max, before the curtain dropped and the rest of the band kicked in.

Throughout the night, it was clear that the band was feeding off the energy of the packed arena; the just-married couple made a later appearance as Max gave them an opportunity for another ‘first dance’ to “And Then Some”, during “Past Life” Max brough up a small child to join in on vocals, before dipping into the crowd to get to their payphone prop in the middle of the arena & taking a voicemail request for “Nobody Gets Me Like You Do”, and later he danced through the crowd again for “Dance With You”.
And the crowd reciprocated with huge singalongs to songs like “Hand Me Downs”, the anthemic “Years in the Making”, and a couple classics (and personal faves), the cathartic “Oh, the Boss Is Coming!” and “Ballad of Hugo Chavez”.

After a full cover of Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5”, they wrapped up the set explosively with “Knocking at the Door”. But the stage stayed dark, and they returned moments later, K.Flay back with them for another cover, duetting (ironically) “Dancing On My Own” by Robyn, before the tender “My Heart’s Always Yours” and bringing the night to a close with “Leather Jacket”, the entire arena once again joining in.

The first time I saw Arkells headline their own show was at the Biltmore Cabaret in 2009. Since then I’ve seen them outgrow venue after venue, go from opening festivals to headlining, and become one of Canada’s biggest rock bands. Heck, I even remember conversations in the old CBC Radio 3 days saying they were an “arena-worthy” band. And through their years of hard work, Arkells have absolutely proven that sentiment correct.

setlist
Come to Light
You Can Get It (ft. K.Flay)
People’s Champ
Relentless
Show Me Don’t Tell Me
Quitting You
Skin
Hand Me Downs
Big Feelings
And Then Some
Past Life
Nobody Gets Me Like You Do
Michigan Left
Oh, the Boss Is Coming!
Ballad of Hugo Chavez
Whistleblower
Dance With You
Years in the Making
9 to 5 [Dolly Parton cover]
Knocking at the Door
(encore)
Dancing On My Own [Robyn cover] (ft. K.Flay)
My Heart’s Always Yours
Leather Jacket

Stars: Set Yourself On Fire 20th Anniversary @ Vogue Theatre -- October 23, 2024

In 2004, a band from Montréal released what would end up being one of my favourite albums*. Now, 20 years later, Stars are on tour celebrating the anniversary of their seminal record, Set Yourself on Fire, and last night they returned to Vogue Theatre in Vancouver for a sold out show.

Opening for the west coast leg of their tour was an old friend of the band, Kevin Drew. The Broken Social Scene singer came out alone with his acoustic guitar, grateful to be there before starting off with the old KC Accidental instrumental “Residential Love Song”.

A couple songs in, he was joined by fellow BSS-er, David French on sax to accompany him on “Can't Find My Heart”, before launching into “World Sick” as Drew’s voice soared through the room. He chatted between songs, talking about his history with Stars as well as his admiration for Gord Downie, spurred by the recent documentary, even dedicating “Party Oven” off his recent album Aging to Gord’s kids. He switched from guitar to keys with “Sweetest Kill” before squeezing in one more song, “Good Sex” as French jamming along.
Drew is always a captivating performer, whether with a full band or solo, and he had the whole sold out room in a hush during his all-too-short set.

It wasn’t long after that before Torquil Campbell, Amy Millan, Evan Cranley, Chris Seligman, Patrick McGee, and Chris McCarron hit the stage — joined by French on sax and a violinist (who I missed the name of) — and the familiar introduction rang out: When there's nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire.

Though, the show got off to a bit of an auspicious start; mere moments into “Your Ex-Lover is Dead”, Torq stopped cold because he spotted someone near the front in trouble. After passing out some water, and making sure they were okay, the song restarted and kicked off the show with the huge singalong to the perennial favourite, chills going through the room -- and not for the last time.

Celebrating Set Yourself on Fire, Stars went through the entire album track by track, from love & sex to war & death; the gorgeous voice of Milan on “Ageless Beauty” and the playful “First Five Times” to the bitter “One More Night” and the absolutely stirring “He Lied About Death”, the stage lit blood red as the song built to a chaotic finish, Pat going bonkers on drums. Torquil stalked the front of the stage for the anthemic “Soft Revolution”, before the last song of the album (but not the last song of the night, “cos we’re fucking professionals” they joked) as they stepped off mic and Amy conducted the entire theatre to a beautiful singalong of “Calendar Girl”

Honestly, I would have been satisfied if they had ended there, but they promised a few more “bangers”, going into the raw emotion of “Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It” and the incredibly danceable “We Don’t Want Your Body”. After teasing they would be back in just a few months time, the band belted out ever-relevant “Take Me to the Riot” followed by another singalong to an old favourite, “Elevator Love Letter” capping off the main set.

But the lights stayed dimmed and they were soon back with the haunting “Dead Hearts” and “The Passenger” dedicated to Torquil’s daughter, niece, and nephew in the crowd, and finally ending the nearly-two-hour set with “From the Night”.

During his opening slot, Kevin Drew talked up his long-time friendship with Stars, saying he had never met a more passionate band. And this night was a perfect example. Even without the tangible proof of Torq stopping the show to make sure someone was okay, you could feel the love pouring off the stage. Love each and every member has for each other, for their music, and espeially for the fans. And a love that the sold out room very much reciprocated.

Stars setlist
Your Ex-Lover is Dead
Set Yourself on Fire
Ageless Beauty
Reunion
The Big Fight
What I’m Trying to Say
One More Night
Sleep Tonight
The First Five Times
He Lied About Death
Celebration Guns
Soft Revolution
Calendar Girl
Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It
We Don’t Want Your Body
Capelton Hill
Take Me to the Riot
Elevator Love Letter
(encore)
Dead Hearts
The Passenger
From the Night

Kevin Drew setlist
Residential Love Song
You in Your Were
Can't Find My Heart
World Sick
Party Oven
Sweetest Kill
Good Sex