since i was avoiding ryan the last few days, i went back to last couple Rheos shows, and specifically this little nugget from the Horseshoe show...
queer > saskatchewan > queer reprise. (click to download the tunes)
queer's classic dave, and its good to hear, but i recommend using that first 4 minutes to prime yourself for what's to come in the 2nd and 3rd acts.
saskatchewan could very well be my favourite Rheostatics song, and its often the one i'll play for people if they're unfamiliar. the double live version, though - the definitive. haha. this saskatchewan is nothing like that at all, but i think it's a pretty emotional and telling version, given the context of swirling rumours and drug references scattered through the couple shows. the noodly intro is almost a little awkward but comes together very sweetly as they dissolve into one another. from there, the band interplay takes on this very soft touch with the guys providing this cushiony pillow for martin to play in for 5 or so minutes. then things start to get deep. and dark. and perhaps downright scary. the musical equivalent of a spiral into Heady Hell (or Heaven, depending on your perspective). martin cranks 'er up and bares his soul through some gut wrenching and beautifully harsh guitar play and with his final words on the matter, they ride it out into the reprise...
... which comes back with a bidini roundhouse to the chin. as far as im concerned, this was dave at some of his finest on these last few shows. the angst, fervour, and energy that he was rockin' that bar with, he had the whole place on his team. and imagine a sardine packed horseshoe, shaking the floor, not a person standing still, barely a soul left to its owner. some of the best energy i've felt at a bar show in toronto, ever, this is gonna go down as a top 5 musical moment of 2007 for sure.
you can download both of the last 2 Rheostatics shows on the rheostaticslive site, here.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment