Blue Rodeo Concert

"and if we're lost....we are lost together!"

Nikki decided that was our theme song as we walked out of the arena. Six girls giddy with after-concert excitement...she was probably right! :)

After meeting up for dinner and a couple of drinks, we walked over the Metro Centre for the big event. We had heard that the opening band (Cuff the Duke) was stuck in Newfoundland for some reason, and that a female musician had be asked to fill in. We didn't know who it was or what she would be like, so we sorta took our time and stopped to have a beer on our way to our seats. :) It was funny though, because we decided to go sit down to see what she was like...just as she finished her set. We heard about 23 seconds of her. Ooops. Too bad, because she came out and sang with the band a few times and she was excellent. Turns out Melissa McClelland has been touring along with them as well, just not as so much of a headliner. I'll be looking for some of her tunes for my iPod for sure.

So, after the long intermission (while we wished we had just stayed up at the bar!), the band came out to a ROAR from the audience. Haligonians sure love their Blue Rodeo. We had fantastic seats....on the floor, in about the 3rd section back, 5th row.

The show began with an almost acoustic set. Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor both with acoustic guitars, the drummer with only his snare drum. It was a mellow way to begin, but the crowd ate it up...especially when for their third song they broke into "Try" and the audience went nuts. I thought at the time that it seemed so early for them to break out a tune so popular, but as the show went on I realized why. It was the biggest hit for the acoustic part of the show.

After a couple more songs, including a few acoustic guitar solos by both of the guys and a tune that the rest of the band left the stage for while they brought Melissa back out to join in, the guys were sort of chatting with each other looking like they were discussing what to do next...and that's when the curtain came down and the real show began!

We immediately grabbed our cameras and jumped up and ran to the front. Right in front of the stage we stayed for a few songs. Oh, how dreamy Jim is! (haha, can you tell I haven't been to a real concert since I was 20?) I sang along, realizing how many Blue Rodeo songs I actually know and remembering that so many of them I probably learned while working at Filthy McNasty's Cafe during my late teens. Ah, the memories!

After a couple of songs, the security guards started sending everyone back to their seats. Cosette and I reluctantly agreed, but somehow our friends Dena and Nikki never got reprimanded. I'm blaming it on our height...grrrrr. Nikki had my camera so at least there were a few more good stage shots taken without the crowd in the way.

The band played a few songs from their new album, but not too many. We were appreciative of that. Nothing worse than going to a concert where they play all their new stuff that no one knows. Instead, it was this great walk down memory lane with most of the favorites from the last 20 years..."What am I doing here?", "This Town", and "Trust Yourself". Sadly for me, they never did play "Bulletproof" (or anything else from that album apparently) or "Diamond Mine" which Cosette waited all night for.

They of course went off the stage leaving the crowd wanting more, and returned just minutes later for their fantastic encore. For "Hasn't Hit Me Yet", during which snow fell from the stage ceiling, Greg stepped around his microphone and encouraged the audience to sing and it was truly amazing to hear the arena full of song. They followed this with "After the Rain" where Jim sat in on piano instead of guitar and proved that even after 20 years and throat surgery he can still hit the high notes. For "Lost Together" Melissa and her husband joined the band on stage and each band member took time for a seemingly improvised solo...and with the array of instruments on stage it was a fun way to end.

We walked out of the arena wishing it wasn't over yet, and giggling while we warbled our own version of "if we are lost....then we are lost together..."