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The W - Music - SLCR #240: Sloan (April 9, 2016)
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KJames199
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Since: 10.12.01
From: #yqr

Since last post: 226 days
Last activity: 7 days
#1 Posted on | Instant Rating: 8.63
This was... I dunno. A noble idea? An experiment, not to be repeated?

Sloan - Canadian rock royalty Sloan - were hitting the road to mark the 20th anniversary of their legendary One Chord To Another album (and sell some obscenely expensive deluxe vinyl reissues along the way). And they weren't coming here. I wasn't so concerned about the record (I got a pre-order link and thusly I pre-ordered - it's a very nice set), but seeing the show sounded like it would be a good time. They were playing in Saskatoon, but it was on a Sunday night so it would have meant a late night drive back with work the next day. But Winnipeg was on a Saturday. We could leave after Mika was done at school in the morning, go on a bit of a road trip adventure, see the show, spend a night in a hotel... the idea seemed like a decent one on its surface. But it's Winnipeg, so you know.

Saturday morning came and we got on the road in decent time. I held us up a bit by being sleepy and lazy but not so much that it mattered. We were on our way!

...and on. And on. One forgets just low long and monotonous that drive is. It doesn't help that the built-in iPhone podcast app will just cut chunks off your podcasts for no apparent reason. Like podcasts? Have an iPhone? Switch to Overcast. It does all your podcast stuff right. There's also Downcast, which has this hilarious thing going where every new version fixes one problem and creates another, but it too is better than the built-in app.

Anyway. The best thing I can say about the drive was that I got a Wunderbar at the Moosomin Co-op. Or was it the Whitewood Co-op? The Broadview Co-op? I know it was a Saskatchewan Wunderbar. Gotta keep my candy bar money in the province.

Rob, you'll never read this, but if you do, I demand that you define the "Saskatchewan Wunderbar" and put it up on Urban Dictionary.

Our talking car robot lady led us into Winnipeg and to our hotel with only a minimum of "why is it taking us this way." The hotel was the Delta, which I will name because it was nice enough. It was Fine. My hotel standards are really pretty low. I want a bed and a toilet and a shower and I want it to not be gross. These checkboxes were all checked.

With doors at 8:00 and me believing for some dumb reason that the show was starting at 8:30, we didn't have a ton of time for dinner, so we just ate at the hotel restaurant. It, too, was Fine. Though after dinner, I looked at Sloan's Twitter and realized that they weren't planning on taking the stage until 10:00, so I guess we could have gone anywhere in the city and had lots of time. We could even have gone to Olive Garden like fancy big city folk.

The venue was the Pyramid - not shaped like its namesake - which was walking distance from our hotel. We found it with only one wrong turn, which was good, because it was getting pretty frosty out for April. Inside was the neon sign for the Spectrum Cabaret, which I believe was the Pyramid in a former life. It was one of those places like the Blue Note that I read about back in the day, integral to the early days of the Crash Test Dummies. There was also a signed Dummies poster behind the bar, old enough that everyone still had long hair and Mitch Dorge hadn't joined the band yet. Beyond that, it seemed kind of like a larger version of the Exchange in Regina. Some of that old Louis' dank but in a room that's basically just a big box with a stage.

There was no opener. We waited around for a while and the length of the day really took its toll on me. The Pyramid was also sold out, and people were packed in tight, so we went from the freezing walk to being way too hot in short order. I could have gone to bed right then.

Sloan finally took the stage somewhere around 10:15-10:30 and I got an immediate second wind. The first set was the One Chord album in its entirety. In preparation for the show, I gave this album a listen, and then a few more because it turns out it's real good. Groundbreaking and controversial opinion, I know, but that's what you come here for. It has a few big singles in Everything You've Done Wrong and The Good In Everyone but really, you can't go wrong with the whole thing. The live version didn't stray too far from the recordings - they even brought in outside horn players whose names Chris totally knew and weren't written on his hand in Sharpie at all. This was all fun and one of the better Sloan sets I've ever seen.

There was an extended break between sets during which I was feeling pretty awake but would have been willing to murder someone for a bottled water. Instead, I gave the bartender some cash money and got us some orange Gatorades, which seems in hindsight like a better plan now that I'm not currently thirsty OR in jail.

The second set was all over the place. "Career-spanning," I think they called it. I recognized some songs - Money City Maniacs being the big one, but also Unkind, Coax Me, and Losing California, among others. Mika said that the second set was heavy on songs from Between the Bridges and correctly surmised that I wouldn't know lots of them. No The Other Man - I know Aaron will be disappointed. Also no Underwhelmed or The Rest Of My Life, which are both personal and crowd favourites.

To be fair, they may actually have played any or all of the above - we wound up bailing on the encore. I know. But we were exhausted from the drive and I have to say, there are some real dicks in Winnipeg* who will just shove you hard and not give a shit at all. Or they'll scream along to the music. I don't mind if they sing - even if they (like me) can't sing well - as long as you're not just hollering for the sake of hearing your own drunk voice and then laughing at your loudness. It got to be a bit much. "It's not the band I hate, it's their fans," indeed. It was also the loudest I've ever heard Sloan, and the volume completely drowned Jay out when he was singing. Mika's favourite Sloan song is False Alarm, and they played it, but she was disappointed that you couldn't really hear it.

*okay they weren't really Winnipeg-specific, they were just drunk b-holes and those are everywhere and these days I don't go to many shows where they're prevalent anymore so they bother me more than they likely should

I hate ending on the negative stuff because then people go "man, that show sounded terrible" and it certainly wasn't! It was just a long day and the venue was hot (I don't even blame them - it was packed) and some people were kinda turds. Most people weren't turds. But it doesn't take many turds, you know? Friggin' turds.

So what else can I tell you? Well, Patrick (who had apparently celebrated numerous birthdays at the Pyramid/Spectrum in years past) has a long grey beard and Chris introduced him as Dumbledore. They had a basic light show set up with a disco ball, which I don't think I've seen at a Sloan show before. It was nothing fancy but gave the whole thing some nice visual variety. At one point someone threw a big handful of ice into the crowd, confusing everyone, including the band. And apparently Craig Northey of Odds was at our show; I didn't see him there, but he was posting pictures from the show on Instagram. I know he was in Winnipeg with Steven Page et al doing that Art of Time Ensemble Sgt. Pepper show, the one I saw in Calgary.

Anyway, after the chilly walk back to the hotel, we were more than done for the night. And the next morning it was snowing and windy because it is Winnipeg, so rather than brave the Ikea or the Human Rights Museum (and what does it say about us that those were our preferred choices? I feel like this could be a lengthy discussion all its own), we hit the road as soon as we were up and about. Our tourist stop for the day was at the finest Boston Pizza in Brandon, followed up with a second Saskatchewan Wunderbar when we stopped for gas.

UPCOMING CONCERTS
• Jason Collett & Zeus w/Kalle Mattson (April 19)
• Ben Folds & yMusic w/Dotan (May 11)
• Danny Michel (May 12)
• Hawksley Workman & The Art of Time Ensemble (May 13)
• The Pack a.d. (May 28)
• Meat Loaf (June 11)
• City and Colour w/Shakey Graves (June 12)
• Regina Folk Festival w/The Head and The Heart; Ry Cooder, Sharon White, & Ricky Skaggs; Sam Roberts Band; The Mavericks; Bettye LaVette; The Cat Empire; The Strumbellas, and more (August 5-7)
• "Weird Al" Yankovic (August 14)
• Fred Eaglesmith (October 1)
• I Mother Earth with Edwin (October 8)

(edited by KJames199 on 13.4.16 1009)


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Whitebacon
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Since: 12.1.02
From: Fresno, CA

Since last post: 119 days
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#2 Posted on
I love these. Please don't ever stop doing them.
    Originally posted by KJames199
    • Meat Loaf (June 11)

    • Regina Folk Festival w/The Head and The Heart; Ry Cooder, Sharon White, & Ricky Skaggs; Sam Roberts Band; The Mavericks; Bettye LaVette; The Cat Empire; The Strumbellas, and more (August 5-7)
    • "Weird Al" Yankovic (August 14)
    • Fred Eaglesmith (October 1)(edited by KJames199 on 13.4.16 1009)



I hardly ever know who you're reviewing, but I'm jealous of this run right here.
CRZ
Big Brother
Administrator








Since: 9.12.01
From: ミネアポリス

Since last post: 8 days
Last activity: 3 days
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#3 Posted on | Instant Rating: 9.19
Due to "visa issues," Sloan's Saint Paul stop originally scheduled for 11 8 April was rain delayed to November ...something ...something. I had originally passed on it anyway, and ended up going to the sold out Har Mar Superstar show at First Avenue, which is a big deal for me because 1 I almost never buy tickets in advance so by the time I decide to go the show IS sold out and 2 after years and years of kinda sorta knowing "Sean Tillmann" (by which I mean he's a friend of a friend and I occasionally see him at parties and he once complimented me at Staraoke for my enthusiastic rendition of Argent's "Hold Your Head Up," a story which I am now relating for the 100th time) it was fun to finally see Har Mar Superstar in his element and gosh he IS really good and he has a tight band - and tight pants. But my point was ... I don't know. Karma? Nooooo no no. Anyway. MAYBE I'll go to the rescheduled Sloan show, but at this phase in my divorce Sloan shows always sound better in theory than in practice so I probably won't. This will really disappoint Chris, I'm sure, because he really seemed to want to talk to me all the other times I went to Sloan shows. Also, what the heck, Patrick. I mean, I get it - I had a beard phase myself - but come on man.

This has been another episode of "why'd I start replying to this, but James will probably dig it at least" and it's the least I can do in appreciation of the continued presence of the SLCR here on Our Dying Board.

(edited by CRZ on 13.4.16 1111)


KJames199
Scrapple
Moderator








Since: 10.12.01
From: #yqr

Since last post: 226 days
Last activity: 7 days
#4 Posted on | Instant Rating: 8.63
    Originally posted by Whitebacon
    I love these. Please don't ever stop doing them.
I have tried to stop so many times and always found a reason to get pulled back in. At this point, I have to assume they'll only stop when I do.

    Originally posted by Whitebacon
    I hardly ever know who you're reviewing, but I'm jealous of this run right here.
The Weird Al tickets are front row w/meet & greet if that makes it better/worse. And 4th row for Meat Loaf. No meat & greet tho.

    Originally posted by CRZ
    MAYBE I'll go to the rescheduled Sloan show, but at this phase in my divorce Sloan shows always sound better in theory than in practice
I was wondering how that would work. They were worth seeing but maybe not for you, maybe not there. But if you feel like a roadtrip, I could be talked into going to Bengough. (Hey Jeff, are you going to this?)

    Originally posted by CRZ
    Also, what the heck, Patrick. I mean, I get it - I had a beard phase myself - but come on man.




    Originally posted by CRZ
    "why'd I start replying to this, but James will probably dig it at least"
Heck yeah!






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