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The W - Music - SLCR #304: Corb Lund (November 23, 2017)
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KJames199
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Since: 10.12.01
From: #yqr

Since last post: 226 days
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#1 Posted on | Instant Rating: 8.69
I like Corb Lund. Saw him before and enjoyed it. Wanted to see him again. Not everything is interesting.

With Mika in school, on this night I was accompanied by Jason and Melissa, a friend from work and his wife. You may recall them from when we went to see the UFC in Saskatoon together, except that wasn't a concert so I didn't tell you about that. Jason was kind enough to not only let me invite myself along with them but he even picked up our tickets. He put us in the front row of the balcony; fine work.

The last time I saw Corb Lund at the casino, you may remember that I complained about all the big-ass trucks in the parking lot. It turns out that I didn't know from big-ass trucks; when you go see a country singer while Agribition is on, it's a whole 'nother level. Of trucks. As is becoming tradition, I composed and sang a song to myself during the ever-frustrating drive through the casino parkade. It had swears.

I've mostly never been to Agribition. Doesn't seem like my thing. One time I walked past a bunch of closed exhibits to go see Willie Nelson at the Brandt Centre, but I don't think that counts. I know very little about it other than when it's on, you can't find a hotel room in town. Folks from all over the province come in big-ass trucks to see... I don't know, whatever there is to see at an agricultural exhibition. They also like going to country shows.

I got to the casino with 10 minutes to spare and met up with Jason and Melissa in the balcony. The last Corb show at the casino had floor seating too, which wasn't quite ideal for a crowd that wanted to get drunk and rowdy. This time, they'd left the floor as standing-room, which... again, not quite ideal. You can't win, casino. Earlier in the day, I read that this show and tour was called "BS With CL" - instead of a full band, Corb was going to be out there by himself with just a guitar. There was a phone number where you could text Corb your questions and he'd answer some of them and tell stories as the show went on. I thought it was a little odd that there was no mention of this in any of the casino's advertising for the show (at least, nothing that I saw). Had I not seen that one Facebook post, I'd have been expecting a normal concert. Don't get me wrong - I'd rather see something unique. I just think if an artist is going to be doing something markedly different from normal, you might want to tell people before they buy tickets. The casino is very upfront about Weird Al's upcoming show being a significant departure from his usual shenanigans, and Saskatoon's Broadway Theatre used the BS With CL name and description in advertising, so I don't know what happened here.

I wasn't sure if we were getting an opener, but the show was kicked off by Mike Plume. I knew the name, not sure from where. He's pals with Corb and I suspect if you like one, you'd like them both. He sang a short set with a lot of Canadiana - songs about hockey and Stompin' Tom and working in Fort Mac and Remembrance Day and the country itself. It seemed like he won the crowd over by the end of it - the ode to Stompin' Tom was a particular favourite and has been stuck in my head off and on since then.

Corb was out after a noticeably brief intermission, and yep, the whole set was just him and a guitar (apart from a few songs where he was joined by Plume, so it was two guys with guitars). I don't think you could complain about the setlist - it was packed with old and new favourites and there wasn't much you could have been left wanting. Looking over Corb's discography now, it occurs to me that 1) I've listened to a fair bit of his music, 2) it's real good, and 3) he sampled pretty evenly from all his records. Really, if you wanted the Corb Lund starter kit, this setlist was perfect. The biggest reactions were saved for Five-Dollar Bill and The Truck Got Stuck, as well as anything that mentioned Saskatchewan or places therein (Hurtin' Albertan, Long Gone to Saskatchewan, and the one Plume song they did together, The Big American Headliner). Really, between Lund and Plume, there's no way I've been to a show with more local references, and they're both no-good Albertans. Plume may be a transplant from New Brunswick, but still. No-good Albertan.

As far as the BS part went, there really wasn't a ton. Corb had his phone on stage and checked it for questions, but there wasn't much more talking than a normal show. He went into a little detail about Talkin' Veterinarian Blues, Family Reunion, The Truck Got Stuck, and personal favourite S Lazy H. A lot of his stories centred on which of the songs are based on true stories. Answer: a lot of them, though they have made-up parts too. Which is what you'd expect.

I thought this was great, but it did seem like maybe this wasn't the show the Agribition crowd wanted. You could hear an awful lot of distracting talking coming from the folks on the floor. I think there was a pretty sizable contingent that wanted to get drunk and rowdy and this didn't really provide the opportunity. I mean, some did anyway, but nowhere near what you'd expect. I really dig Corb but find his fans to be a bit much sometimes. I keep going to see him, since he's great and all, but you need to prepare yourself for the drunken yahoos you may encounter. This seemed like it was less of a show for them and more for me, so, y'know, no complaints here.

I say "Corb Lund fans" as if I'm not one, but somehow, Corb became one of my favourite musicians. I didn't even really realize it until I was thinking about it today and realized just how much of his stuff I know well and enjoy. I've liked him for a long time, but I wouldn't have ever thought to list him among my very favourites, but somehow, that happened and I didn't even realize it.

Or to put it all another way, enjoyed it. Want to see him again.
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iTunes Top Downloads -- May 13, 2012 This is a moment in time snapshot of the current top downloads from iTunes. We take a snapshot each week at the same time and post it here. To preview the songs, click on a link.
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Related threads: SLCR #303: Andy Shauf (November 18, 2017) - SLCR #302: Headstones (November 17, 2017) - SLCR #301: Nomadic Massive (November 10, 2017) - More...
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