I'm just a boat on the ocean.....and I'm just a ship lost at sea

Matthew Good played the first of his three shows at the Van East Cultural Centre last night.



For awhile, there were hopes of an upcoming acoustic tour. Last September at the CFOX Uninvited Guest show, I asked Matt about this possibility. Fast forward a few months later and he's now wrapping up that tour in his hometown with three sold out nights.

The Usual Suspects:





When the acoustic shows were first announced, I thought the VECC would be the perfect location. It's a seated, intimate venue with a capacity under 300 people. In addition, the acoustics in the room are excellent and no one talks during songs.

Melissa McClelland opened the show with a nice 30min set. Her vocals were solid and she had some good guitar work. For one song, she had a beat machine playing in the background that she said was purchased from Value Village.

Matt opened the show strong with great performances of Avalanche, Tripoli, Life Beyond..., and Prime Time Deliverance. Despite having a flu virus the last few days, he seemed in good spirits.



Matt talked and joked a lot throughout the whole show, mentioning the Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook and the Ann Coulter book and doll. He joked about making a sex tape just so he could wear night vision goggles. In addition, he discussed the thought of touring with a huge MG sign in flames hanging at the back of the stage that would run four stories high. His idea would be to hold the show at BC Place and only have around 50 people in the audience, charging $200 each in order to just cover production costs and break even.

This show was quite special for me as there were a few songs played that I'd never heard live before throughout the years of seeing him perform. These songs included Fated, Sort Of A Protest Song, and So Long Mrs. Smith. I also heard two new songs at the show: She's In It For The Money and The Boy Come Home.



Some other highlights during his 1hr 50min set included his amazing vocals on In A World Called Catastrophe, the emotion displayed in The Fine Art Of Falling Apart, and his duet with Melissa on Hurt.

Setlist:

Avalanche
Tripoli
Life Beyond The Minimum Safe Distance
Prime Time Deliverance
In A World Called Catastrophe
Hopeless
Fated
She's In It For The Money / Sort Of A Protest Song
Can't Get Shot In The Back If You Don't Run
Strange Days
Advertising On Police Cars
So Long Mrs. Smith
Load Me Up
Apparitions

Hurt (with Melissa McClelland)
The Fine Art Of Falling Apart
Alert Status Red
The Boy Come Home
It's Been A While Since I Was Your Man