Dan Mangan @ Vogue Theatre -- May 11, 2022

This is a show that's been over two years in the making. Originally scheduled for April of 2020, this show has been postponed and rescheduled and postponed and rescheduled and... until finally landing on May 11th & 12th of 2022, luckily still at the Vogue theatre.

I caught the tail end of the opening act, Georgia Harmer, just her and a guitarist on stage. With a voice and talent that belies her age, she played stripped down versions of songs off her recently released debut album Stay in Touch, like the catchy “All In My Mind”, and finished off with “Top Down”.
I’ve been meaning to pick up her album, and from what I saw, I’ll need to do that sooner rather than later.

Not long after, the lights dimmed and Dan Mangan took the stage with his backing band, kicking right off with “Which Is It”, for a set that spanned his entire discography. From “Road Regrets”, which saw Dan's voice soaring over the theatre as he belted out the chorus, to the laid back “Lay Low”, a song about bailing on plans and staying home -- which Dan joked he now really regretted writing now.

Early on, Mangan said he wasn't going to talk too much, as he wanted to pack in as much music as possible, but with an effortless charm, he still told stories about the songs, bantered with the crowd, and gave out his ‘band cell’ number so everyone in attendance could text in for a recording of the evening's show.

Part way through the set the band took a brief break and Dan played a few songs solo, including a requested cover of Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea”, and was joined by Georgia Harmer for a lovely rendition of “The Indie Queens Are Waiting”, before the band returned for a huge singalong to “Robots”, Dan standing at the front of the stage, completely off mic, leading the crowd.

Other highlights included the charming “Pine for Cedars”, the raucous “Vessel”, and the intensely bombastic “Post-War Blues”, which ended off the main set.

But we didn't have to wait long before Dan was back out, on his own at first for the absolutely heartbreaking “Basket”, with more soft singing along (and I'm sure a few tears) from the audience. Then it was time to bring out ‘The Hammer’, a large lighting rig that syncs with the finale of the set, “So Much for Everyone”. In the past Dan has waded out into the middle of the crowd with this contraption, but since it's probably not wise to do that these days, he and the band -- as well as Georgia Harmer -- crowded around a single microphone, with Dan leading a choir of voices to send everyone off with their hearts full.

Sometimes you get a musician and venue that just "fit" perfectly together, and I think that's Dan with the Vogue. From the first time he played there in 2010, to the last time — as documented by All Together Now — he just feels at home there. And as I’m sure I’ve said before, he manages to make the full theatre feel like an intimate living room show.

setlist
Which Is It
Cold in the Summer
Road Regrets
Troubled Mind
Lay Low
Rows of Houses
Kitsch
Fool For Waiting
The Indie Queens are Waiting
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea [Neutral Milk Hotel cover]
In Your Corner (for Scott Hutchison)
Robots
Peaks & Valleys
Oh Fortune
Pine for Cedars
Forgetery
Vessel
Post-War Blues
(encore)
Basket
So Much for Everyone

Sigur Rós @ Orpheum Theatre -- May 09, 2022

Since the first time I heard them, nearly 20 years ago, I've considered Sigur Rós among my top favourite bands. It's been about 9 years since I last saw them live, and with hiatuses, solo & side projects, and other news, I wasn't all that optimistic abut more new music from the Icelandic band, let alone a new tour. So imagine my surprise (and excitement) when they announced a new world tour, with one of the first dates right here in Vancouver, at the gorgeous Orpheum Theatre.

With no opening act, the lights dimmed and a low rumble filled the room shortly after 8pm, before a familiar piano note rang out, accompanied by lights twinkling across the stage, as the band kicked off with “Svefn-g-englar”.

Jónsi and Georg Holm were joined by Kjartan Sveinsson -- who had recently returned to the band after leaving 9 years ago -- as well as their touring drummer, for a set that ebbed and flowed, much like the individual post-rock songs. They went from the haunting “Vaka”, to the absolutely gorgeous “Samskeyti”, to “Ný batterí”, with a bass drum that thumped into your very core, to sometimes everything within in the same song; “Rafmagnið búið” started off sparse and then erupted into a huge, distortion-filled finale, Jónsi’s guitar screaming as he sawed at the strings with with signature bow.

After about an hour, the band took a brief intermission, before getting right back into it with the epic and swirling “Glósóli” to kick off the second half of the evening. Which not only spanned their back catalogue, but also featured a pair of new ones, with “Gold 2” and “Gold 4”, very beautiful and (comparatively) light songs that had me looking forward to their next studio album.

Throughout the night, the band didn't talk much, just letting the songs speak for them. The most banter came from a slight hold up with a broken delay pedal, at which point they decided to just play the delay on the gorgeous “Sæglópur”, which for the most part worked out, before the song grew into its intense climax.

But the crowd only needed the music, as they hung on every note; just about the entire room was silent during each song, waiting for the last remnants to trail off before bursting into applause, with the prime example being during “Festival”: the song drops out just before the eruption, and the crowd was dead quiet. Not a clap or cheer or cough, only a faint hum came from the stage as the entire sold out Orpheum was hushed -- and I think the band may have milked that silence just a little before the rhythm section bursts forth to build the song back up.

After the apocalyptically intense “Kveikur”, they drew the set to a finish in the same way they've done every time I've seen them live -- and I wouldn't have it any other way -- with one of my all-time favourite songs, “Popplagið”. The 10+ minute track with a slow-burn of intensity before bursting into a cacophony of guitars and drums, leaving the audience emotionally spent, and giving the band a standing ovation as they came out for the last bow and to say takk to us for coming.

One of the things Sigur Rós does best, and I’m sure the reason why they resonate with a lot of people, is the amount of sheer emotion they are able to convey in their songs. Even though I (and I assume most others there that evening) don’t speak Icelandic, much less Vonlenska — the gibberish dialect invented by the band, translated to “Hopelandic” — their songs can still make you feel heartbreak (“Fljótavík”), utter joy (“Festival”), hope (“Samskeyti”), and everything in-between. Combined with a gorgeous light show and presentation synced to the music, this was a night that’s not soon to be forgotten.


setlist
Svefn-g-englar
Vaka
Fyrsta
Samskeyti
Rafmagnið búið
Ný batterí
Gold 2
Fljótavík
Dauðalagið
Smáskifa
[intermission]
Glósóli
E-Bow
Ekki múkk
Sæglópur
Gold 4
Festival
Kveikur
Popplagið

PHOTOS: Rich Aucoin @ Fortune Sound - May 1, 2022

Rich Aucoin
Fortune Sound Club
May 1, 2022

Click here for Kirk’s recap.

Rich Aucoin @ Fortune Sound -- May 01, 2022

The first time I saw Rich Aucoin -- opening for Arkells at the Commodore nearly 11 years ago -- he instantly became one of my favourite live acts. So of course I was excited when he was finally able to return to Vancouver, while touring his 2020 album United States.

I caught the tail end of the opener, The Daveed Saband, who had a pretty high energy rock sound, and seemed like a good opener for the night.

Once they were done, and while the stage was being set, the overhead projector fired up in anticipation, telling us to keep our arms and legs inside the universe, and that in space no one can hear you scream (so we'd better be loud when yelling along).

It wasn't long before Rich Aucoin introduced the set, saying we first had to hear a word from our "sponsor", a jelly commercial aptly scored by "Bootylicious", followed by some faux-trailers and the opening credits -- as usual, featuring fun facts about some of the people who were in attendance.

After being introduced to our narrator (Michael Caine) and a brief mention of the illness that took the world in 2019 (the major motion picture Cats) it was time our feature presentation, as Rich lead the audience to a singalong to some 20th Century fanfare.

Aucoin launched into "Meaning in Life", transitioning into "Yelling in Sleep", and then get the entire room shouting along to one of my favourites, "Want to Believe", which was mashed up with "Four More Years".
Rich was joined only by drummer Tony Dallas, who was on-point all night but especially got to show off during "Undead". Tony matched Rich's incredible energy, even when stuck behind the kit, as Rich was able to run up and down the stage, and even into the crowd frequently.

The projector ran the whole set, showing lyrics to yell, chapter transitions, clips from Cats as well as other movies, memes, narration from Sir Michael Caine, and more, usually synced perfectly to the music. Though I've often said that as fun as the set is, it wouldn't be near as good without the music to back it up, and songs like "How It Breaks", incredibly catchy with heavy lyrics inspired by events of 2020, backed that up.

The climax of the set was "Are You Experiencing?", which saw the nostalgia-inducing rainbow parachute come out, stretched over the entre dance floor for everyone to jump under, as Rich joined everyone in the centre of the parachute, singing to/at/with them. Then all-too-quickly, the set came to an end with "It" — one last giant group song, Rich once again in the middle of the crowd, urging everyone not to “leave it all in our heads”.

Though that wasn’t quite the end of the night. But even though Rich never left the stage area, the finale had “encore energy”, as Rich sent everyone home with a singalong to Smash Mouth hit "All Star", lead by both himself and the disembodied voice of Michael Caine.

If (IF!) there is downside to Rich Aucoin’s shows, it’s that they always feels like they go by way too quick. But then again, by the end of it, I was exhausted... and I wasn’t even the one performing.
Rich has been saying recently there are only a few more years left in this particular version of his live show before he transitions to something new, so if you have a chance within the next few years, I implore you to do it!

setlist
Meaning in Life
Yelling in Sleep
Want to Believe / Four More Years
How it Breaks
Undead
Are You Experiencing?
The Other
It
All Star [Smash Mouth cover]

PHOTOS: JP Maurice, with Leisure Club, and Zoey Leven at the Hollywood Theatre - April 17, 2022

JP Maurice, with Leisure Club, and Zoey Leven
The Hollywood Theatre
April 17, 2022
Christine McAvoy Photography