KJames199
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|  #1 Posted on 20.8.16 0251.13
Reposted on: 20.8.23 0252.02 | I turn 40 in two- wait. That won't work twice. And it's 20 minutes to midnight anyway.
This was a last-minute decision for me. I had forgotten the show was even happening until it popped up on Facebook a little while ago, and I only bought my ticket a few hours before the show. I like 54-40 well enough and all, but I saw them a few years ago and described it as the most just-a-show show that I'd maybe ever seen. I really wasn't sure that I needed to pay to see that again. Plus Mika didn't feel like going, even when good seats opened up on the day of the show.
But then I was looking them up online, which can be a bit tricky, because if you google 54-40, you get 14. But I still found their website and it described this show as acoustic. "Featuring intimate and unplugged versions of 54-40’s greatest hits performed as you’ve never heard them before." That would make sense - their newest album is a collection of acoustic reworkings of their biggest hits. I haven't heard it, but Aaron says it's good. This intrigued me, as it would be a different show from the last time I saw them. On the other hand, the last show dragged until it got to the more high-energy second half. Should I risk the $37.13? I asked Aaron, which meant I already knew what I wanted the answer to be, because what was he going to say? No?
So I got my ticket, rushed through a dinner of Indian food while finishing off the Weird Al review, and made my way to the casino. I was up in the balcony. The show wasn't sold out, and I had an entire row to myself. Actually, several rows as pretty much everything behind me was also open. This is a fine way to watch a show.
Right at 8:00, some local radio guy introduced the band and we were underway. The first thing I must note is that there was nothing acoustic at all about this show. This was a straight up rock show, and oddly (considering last time), the crowd was into it right from the start. By the second song, there were people standing up at the front of the stage, with more joining with every song. By the end of it, the people at the first few rows of tables wouldn't have been able to see anything and those tables were largely abandoned.
I didn't take notes about the set list, but I'm pretty sure they opened with Easy to Love and from there, it was all hits, all the time. I didn't keep track of the setlist, but if you know a 54-40 song, they played it. I mean, not if you're some kind of superfan or something. But if you know only the radio songs, like me? They didn't leave you wanting much. I Go Blind, Since When, Baby Ran, Crossing a Canyon, Lies to Me, Love You All, One Day in Your Life, Ocean Pearl, Nice to Luv You, Crossing a Canyon, One Gun, She-La, Radio Luv Song, Blame Your Parents, Casual Viewin'... it turns out that 54-40 had way more hits than I realized, and I knew pretty much everything.
I guess there was one song that wasn't a hit - a new song from their upcoming album. The song was based on a Winston Churchill quote: "If you're going through hell, keep going." The song was probably called something like Keep Walking, while lead singer Neil Osborne offered the suggested title of "Grizzled, Chiseled, and the Wine is Fine" for the new album; about this, I can only say it received the reaction it deserved. Interpret that as you will.
Questionable album title aside, the new song was good, and the whole show was great - much better than last time out. There were big singalongs for Ocean Pearl and Casual Viewin', but there was much more energy from both the band and the fans as compared to before. I don't know what changed in the crowd, but whatever it was, it was there right from the start. It's amazing the difference that the atmosphere makes. It created this loop where the band was having more fun because the crowd was really into it, and because the band was enjoying themselves, the crowd got MORE into it. It's too bad the show ended after 90 minutes (plus a two-song encore) because we could have been on the verge of discovering some sort of perpetual energy machine.
UPCOMING CONCERTS
• Greg MacPherson w/Dan Holbrow & Leo Keiser (September 1)
• Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters (September 6)
• Dolly Parton (September 13)
• Prozzäk (September 22)
• Hayden (September 29)
• Fred Eaglesmith (October 1)
• Basia Bulat w/Oh Pep! (October 5)
• I Mother Earth featuring Edwin w/The Standstills (October 8)
• Sarah Slean with the Regina Symphony (October 22)
• Bush w/The Dead Deads (October 27) | Promote this thread! |             | | ALL ORIGINAL POSTS IN THIS THREAD ARE NOW AVAILABLE |
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