Blue Rodeo, Bahamas - Amphitheatre (August 17/13)

Bahamas
Afie had the distinct pleasure of opening for Blue Rodeo for their annual summer show in Toronto. Granted with the Amphitheatre's penchant for punctuality a majority of the 20,000 attendees were not yet in their seats when he strolled out along with his band precisely at 8pm. Those of us who were on time were treated to the Bahamas affair, a fleshed out solo project that is rooted in electric guitar, alongside a drummer and additional guitar, yet has feelings of folk well embedded. As an added bonus there were two lovely ladies accompanying him on vocals, including Tamara of The Weather Station. As the audience filtered in the band confidently performed numbers from the most recent Barchords like Caught Me Thinkin' and standout Okay, Alright, I'm Alive, plus a throwback to Pink Strat with Hockey Teeth. The song of the set had to be the surprising strength as Never Again grew and grew. Seemingly humbled by the slot Afie gushed not only about 'biking to work' but also the beauty of the massive audience with the trees and the blue sky in the background as the sun set. Agreed - it was a very pleasant scene with a fitting soundtrack.

Blue Rodeo
On this perfect summer evening the boys of Blue Rodeo, all seven of them, came to entertain and prove why this has become a summertime staple. Twenty-six years in the game they certainly have mastered a live show but that is not to say that it comes off too excessively polished. The pedal steel and Cuddy's many harmonicas featured prominently and weaved their way right from opener Head Over Heels on through. With Jim and Greg passing the mic with ease they brought most songs from their recorded state to live brilliance, slipping guitar solos in wherever possible such that even mid-set numbers came across as epic closers. An example of this was Diamond Mine with its piano and Cuddy's electric guitar solo, or even Five Days in May which had their third guitarist laying it down. Interspersed with these Canadian classics were a surprising number (5) of new tracks like Mattawa from their forthcoming autumn release, all of which sounded strong and could very well be mainstays in summers to come. That said people come back year after year for moments like Jim Cuddy playing the piano on After the Rain and their rendition of the Bee Gees' To Love Somebody which has taken on a life of its own. The most hair-raising moment was the twenty-thousand strong choir who without prompting took to their feet and took Hasn't Hit Me Yet from the band before they even sang a note - belting out the nearly literal line "..out here in the middle of Lake Ontario." This was followed by closing number - a standard - Somebody Touched Me which was dedicated to the memory of the recently departed former member James Gray and had more than a touch of gospel in its call and response.

Amazingly an hour and forty minutes had passed by in what seemed like a flash and people were hollering for more. Fortunately they would deliver with Til I Am Myself Again, before Jim Cuddy awed us all with Try. What else could be left in the tank but the ultimate Blue Rodeo song as the ladies of Bahamas joined them while Afie had to the honour of singing a verse of Lost Together to play us out into the gorgeous Toronto night. Until next year, boys.

Aidan Knight - Hillside 2013 (Sat Aft)

Aidan Knight's Small Reveal is an absolute gem. I'd been talking this set up to anyone who would listen because I'm really jazzed about this artist, even if his onstage persona (or maybe it's just him?) is much more subdued than my enthusiasm. With a full Lake Tent (and threat of more rain) they began with their album opening doublet of songs which are an excellent one two punch when listened to but the crowd was a little distracted and talkative which set things back a little off the top. The material is really strong though and they persisted, slowly and surely making gains. It was a set without too much variation from those I've seen from this talented quintet in the recent past and people began to recognize. How can you not appreciate that violin anyhow? Coming into close, people finally stood up and began to get into it which was perfect timing because the final track was Knitting Something Nice for You and although it starts a little slower when it dynamically morphs partway through it really is a game changer and they brought it home strong.

Yukon Blonde - Hillside 2013 (Sat Night)

Yukon Blonde had a tougher task ahead of them being the band responsible for bringing it all home on notoriously the biggest evening and stage of the festival. The MC warned that Hillside would not be responsible for any melting of faces from the guitar solos about to occur, and although these went down, a shred fest does not necessarily a party make. Those in the recently revamped front of stage (no more picnic benches! Yeah!) didn't seem to mind and bounced and shook and surfed their way through the entire thing under the assortment of floating prophylactics. The set began well with favourites such as Radio and Six Dead Tigers but I felt it waned down the stretch. They did bring it home with another stronger tune, My Girl but it wasn't quite enough to send me bounding off into the night. The surprise downpour that came up just as the show let us out into the night (and the hour long bus lineup) definitely affected this feeling as well.

July Talk - Hillside 2013 (Sat Night)

Who saw it coming? The ordinarily bonkers Saturday night lineup in the island tent was to feature a band that was relatively unknown, albeit highly touted by those in the know. The place was packed anyhow and ready to go off - July Talk gave them the excuse to do just that. Lead by their mod rocker in his black leather jacket, it was his female counterpart who really stole the show. As he overtly hit on her and she coyly rebuffed all his advances they had a unique stage persona. Much of this presence was ad libbed, with limboing the mic stand, and balancing the gold pump on her head but they seemed to be having a time and the crowd was enjoying it even more. Besides the music being churned out by the five piece had a great beat and despite a general lack of familiarity everyone everywhere was shaking it anyhow. A true buzz generator!

Jim Guthrie - Hillside 2013 (Sat Eve)

There were a total of ten musicians on stage for Jim Guthrie's hometown set, the most notable of which (besides the namesake) was JJ Ipsen. Despite this array of people and instruments the sound was full but not overwhelmingly so. On some numbers there were band members who actually went unused. They wonderfully replicated the sound of Jim's most recent triumphant long player, Takes Time, which was the focus of the beginning of the set. Jim himself was wedged in the middle playing his guitar and providing the vocals for these tunes, including the smile-worthy The Rest Is Yet To Come ("I said, 'Don't you mean the best?'"). There weren't really many mind-altering things that occurred on this my first time seeing the apparently reclusive touring Jim Guthrie live show but it was undoubtedly faithful and enjoyable.

Fucked Up - Hillside 2013 (Sunday Aft)

It was an intense, riled up pit of Fucked Up fans kicking up dust on a Sunday afternoon in the Island Tent. With the sound up the band seemed to be in fine form as they blasted through their melodic, hard punk rock gems like The Other Shoe and Son the Father. It is their frontman, Damian Abraham, who really represents them and acts as the most visible member at least partly due to his unique appearance, nearly always sweaty and topless. Only a song or two passed until he fit that description, as he handed out high fives and dipped the mic into the crowd to let the fans scream along. This interaction definitely steps up the intimacy of the shows and it worked real well here as nostrils filled with floating dirt but few were seen exiting the scene. There was an inordinate amount of children in attendance - and I don't mean the teenagers moshing. Even the band had their kids backstage and later in the set Damian's son was used in a call and response as he was hoisted onto papa bear's shoulders. Nearing the end Damian became a man of the people by entering the fracas, coming face to face with me and after a tiny pause threw his meaty arm around my neck and began an epic group hug as people from all around piled in. Yes, a sweaty hug from a bare-chested man was my Hillside moment.