Shifting dynamics please Pearl StreetDaily Collegian | April 15, 2008
Building anticipation for the band was opener AA Bondy, a singer-songwriter with a distinctly travel-infused, folk inspired sound. From his half-buttoned collared shirt and tarnished denim to the cigarette suggestively placed behind his ear to his raspy voice and wailing harmonica solos, it was almost impossible not to draw a very obvious (and tiresome) comparison to a young Bob Dylan.
Bondy, however, delivered a fresh approach to a style that often is inundated with imitation rather than innovation, implementing elements of blues throughout his set while using simplistic means such as stomping his foot to accentuate and bring life to his lyrical narratives.
In the wake of Bondy's set came what the singer himself jokingly described as "a Canadian Onslaught." Over 15 minutes of setup and microphone checks teased with the crowd's patience, but when five figures finally emerged into focus from the dimly lit corners of the stage, the crowd uncorked in unison with raucous applause complete with a stray "Yeah Winnipeg" proclamation flying in from the bar. The sporadic side conversations and murmurs that could be heard during Bondy's set all but disappeared, and the crowd hushed in delight for the band's first selection.
The rather mellifluous-sounding "Bigfoot" served as a precursor for an evening in which the band chose to run the spectrum of their catalog. Diversity is not always a recipe for success in a live setting, but their deftly arranged set never allowed for too much of the jovial or upbeat without a necessary counterbalance of the introspective and delicate.
The band transitioned into "Our Retired Explorer" to the delight of the crowd; they clapped along with the breaks and chorus and let out loud chants of approval during vocal breaks throughout the first lively selection of the evening.
Following this, the focus shifted back to more melodic selections from the band's newest release "Reunion Tour." The album's opener, "Civil Twilight" was met with head bobs and gentle swaying and was immediately followed by "Sun in an Empty Room," which turned out to be perhaps the band's weakest offering of the night. Recorded, the layered backing vocals featured in the chorus are a welcomed addition, supplementing vocalist John K. Samson's otherwise dominant presence on the album, but on this night, with the vocal levels being perhaps a bit off, they were flat and unflattering.
Finishing up the portion of their newest material was "Night Windows," another slower-tempo track that was met with more audience participation in the form of unison clapping during the song's conclusion.
After bringing the crowd into somewhat of a stationary lull with some slower material, the band jerked the audience back to life with "The Reason" and "Tournament of Hearts," with the crowd screaming, "I know you might roll your eyes at this, but I'm so glad that you exist" along with the Canadian quintet on the former and moving all around the cramped confines on the latter.
Guitarist Stephen Carroll and bassist Greg Smith proved to be quite the showmen on the tracks; playing up to the crowd with some flamboyant stage movements and guitar caressing that had almost arena rock sensibilities to them.
From this point, the show really hit its stride. Launching into two of their most popular tracks, "Reconstruction Site" and "Aside," the crowd responded positively, becoming as audible as Samson in delivering the words of the respective songs, a quality that would be present for the remainder of the evening.
The first few notes of "Left and Leaving" received one of the loudest ovations of the night. Its subtlety delivered, yet heavily poetic verses were met with an adoring echo of fans, eyes closed, heads swaying, singing in unison. Ultimately this was short lived, as the crowd lost their collective composure for "Plea for a Cat Named Virtue," which saw Carroll leap into the crowd, guitar and all, during the buildup to the song's finale of hectic noise and the band's eventual departure from the stage.
Following a steady minute of building applause, Samson returned to play two songs solo, first "One Great City" followed by "My Favorite Chords" after at least a half dozen requests for it from the crowd. The full band returned for the conclusion of the "My Favorite Chords" and they closed the night with "Virtue The Cat Explains Her Departure" and "(Manifest)," clumsily singing in unison the trumpet notes that herald the song's, and in this case the concert's end.
On more than one occasion following a song's conclusion, The Weakerthans received a cat-call unheard by most concert-goers or bands alike: "Play that one again." While it's often advisable to leave your audience yearning for more, The Weakerthans have managed to transcend that old adage. The applause, the enthusiasm, and the participation they generated from the crowd are proof that not only the desire for more is present, but also that fans are ecstatic with what is delivered.
* The Weakerthans Official Site
* The Weakerthans on Myspace
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