Blue Rodeo at Massey Hall
Published February 4, 2010 @ 07:49 in Music
Last night, I was at Massey Hall to see Blue Rodeo. I've been a Blue Rodeo fan since 1987 when the DJ we hired for our grade school dance told us he was going to spin us a new one and I heard "Try" for the first time. And if you're going to see a band you like, there really is no better forum in the city of Toronto than Massey Hall. The acoustics are perfect.
I was having a blast before Blue Rodeo even hit the stage. Dustin Bentall opened, and he was joined by Kendel Carson. I wasn't familiar with either artist before I heard them last night, but together they were absolutely amazing. I'm giving Kendel an entry all to herself because she blew my little mind. Stay tuned for that one.
Here's a little of Dustin Bentall and Kendel Carson (she's the blond playing the violin) warming us up last night.
When it comes to Blue Rodeo, you're either a Cuddy or a Keelor guy. Sure, many love both, but everyone has a preference. I've always been a Keelor guy, and last night reminded me why. This is no knock against Cuddy, who has sang the national anthem at 2 out of the last 3 Leafs games I've seen live, but Keelor's worth the price of admission on his own. He's got the cool voice and the cool parts, and if he wants to extend "Diamond Mine" another 20 minutes, I'm perfectly okay with that.
Here he is instructing the Massey Hall crowd before Cuddy came in to order us on our feet.
That leads nicely to my only criticism of the night. This is the first concert I've attended where we all sat on our seats until the encore, and I've been to many, many concerts. Was it because it's Massey Hall? Was it because it's Blue Rodeo? I'm not sure, but nobody stood and it didn't feel natural. I believe I've ranted on this subject before...
Here's the finale, Blue Rodeo joined by Dustin Bentall and Kendel Carson for "Lost Together".
A big thanks to my mom, who responded brilliantly to my request to receive no stuff this Christmas. She bought me the perfect gift, a ticket to see a great band at Massey Hall. This was the third concert I had ever seen with my mom, joining Kid Rock at the Molson Amp and The Tragically Hip at Fort York.
Thanks, Ma!
Jason C
February 4, 2010 / 09:53
In answer to your question regarding sitting, I think it has a lot to do with the venue. I was at one of The Hip shows last spring and it was the first Hip show (and I have been to 20 of them over the years) where I found myself sitting through many of the songs. Then again, we are getting older, there was no sitting when I saw The Hip at Massey Hall in the early '90s and I was in university.
Now that I think of it, the first, and only, show I attended where everyone sat through was a Blue Rodeo show in a theatre up in North Bay, but it was a hell of a show.
All this to say that maybe it's a combination of the band, venue and the fact that we are getting old.