10,000 Days + 7 more

Tool played GM Place last Tuesday Aug.22 to a packed crowd. It was their first time back in Vancouver since their Lateralus Tour about 5 years ago.

Isis opened the show. The experimental and progressive rock quintet from LA put on a solid effort. They were onstage for only 30mins and definitely could have played longer, especially with the set changeover time being close to an hour before Tool hit the stage.

When Tool finally came on, the roar of the GM Place crowd was defining. The guys opened with Stinkfist, followed by The Pot off their new release. It is said that their latest album 10,000 Days is named after Maynard's mom Judith, who was partially paralyzed from a stroke for the last 27 years of her life (which is close to 10,000 days).

Maynard James Keenan has an enigmatic quality about him that draws the audience in. On this night, he came out bare chested and wearing jeans, while sporting sunglasses and a mohawk. He also had a cowboy hat at his disposal which he would leave on a special stand when not wearing it. Maynard positions his mic stand in the back half of the stage near drummer Danny Carey, as opposed to most vocalists who are front and centre. The singer's mannerisms are quite unique, as he would sometimes straddle his mic stand like a cowboy, then can be seen feeling out his surroundings and stomping the ground.

Guitarist Adam Jones and bassist Justin Chancellor do a terrific job completing the sound of the LA four piece. Justin plays the whole set with pretty much his head down and hair covering his face. The sound mix for Maynard's vocals were low at times, though kinda expected with the GM Place sound system and venue acoustics.

Sober rocked, as did Lateralus. The laser lights that ran across the arena were quite hypnotizing. Maynard also cracked some jokes during the show such as "Congratulations on your high dollar. We suggest you buy our country before we invade yours for your oil."

Instead of leaving for the encore, the guys sat down on the stage together and waited a few minutes before getting back up to play the encore numbers. They closed out the 1hr 40min set with Vicarious and Ænema.

Setlist:

Stinkfist
The Pot
Forty Six & 2
Jambi
Schism
Rosetta Stoned
Sober
Right In Two
Lateralus

Vicarious
Ænema

*******

Been pretty busy lately working on some shows. Went to check out a venue last week that is currently being renovated. We're gonna be booking some gigs there starting possibly next month. Also met with the publisher at the Nerve Mag. to discuss a festival we're gonna be doing with them this coming fall.

In these standard shoes and what's left of my lines.....you can see right through me

Matthew Good played one final show last night in Vancouver before embarking on his journey of travels throughout the world. This performance was quite special as it took place in Matt's apartment living room and on the last night he would be residing from there. It was just him and his guitar. No mics, no amps.



Matt mentioned there were around 280 people that emailed him about attending this unique occasion. In attendance were some of us from the Lower Mainland, a girl from Victoria, a girl from Ontario, a guy from Texas, a girl that flew in specially from Edmonton, and also a girl that flew in specially from Maryland.....all to be a part of this one time evening. I feel very fortunate to have been a part of this.





The total count in the room came to 25 people plus two dogs. MG's dogs are absolutely adorable. Benji is pretty much in charge and Casey has this relentless energy. They also contributed to the night's performances with Benji lending his vocals during songs while Casey chewed on the squeak toy.



The performance began at 8:15pm with Tripoli. The atmosphere was very relaxed and interactive throughout the night with Matt conversating back and forth with us and cracking jokes with Merle. It felt like just a gathering between old friends.




Up next came Metal Airplanes, a song that debuted during the July-August shows this year.




I was sitting beside Matt writing down the setlist as he performed, so he would often turn to me and ask "Alright, what's next". I did my best to request some songs that are rarely played live and/or would sound good in an acoustic setting.

Matt mentioned that he hasn't picked up his guitar since his last show in Victoria on August 1. With that said, combined with the fact that he stated some songs don't sound as complete with just an acoustic guitar, there were a few songs that weren't played. Sorry, no Born To Kill, Suburbia, Blues Skies Over Badlands, The Rat Who Would Be King, or Truffle Pigs.

We were however treated with great showings of Avalanche, Prime Time Deliverance, Sort Of A Protest Song, and House Of Smoke And Mirrors. It was fun hearing Casey chew on that squeak toy while Matt strummed the notes to Prime Time Deliverance, or when Benji sang along with Matt during the end of HOSAM.



MG also took the time to prank call his brother Chris, and A&R guy Dave Porter. In addition, he received calls during the show from his parents and from Merle prank calling him from across the room.



We were treated to a demonstration of Matt's new MacBook Pro which he had just bought for his trip. That thing sure is fast.




Matt also shared with us stories about life, MGB, the music industry, the city of Vancouver, and noted that the steak from Olympia on Denman Street is delicious. In addition, he mentioned that there will be another album made sometime in the future.




The evening finished around 11:35pm

Setlist:

Tripoli
Metal Airplanes
Strange Days
Avalanche
Prime Time Deliverance
Sort Of A Protest Song
She's In It For The Money
Alert Status Red
Fated
House Of Smoke And Mirrors
In A World Called Catastrophe




THANK YOU so much to Matt for letting us be a part of this tremendous night and all the best to you in your travels. Remember, stay away from those Bounce sheets!



This was MG Show #24 for me and by far the most important one I've attended. If it somehow becomes the last time I ever see Matt perform live, then I'll have left with closure on one man's magnificent music career.....knowing that he has an even brighter future ahead traveling the world to face new challenges in this thing we call life.

These are the shows that I've been fortunate enough to be a part of with Matt and company throughout the years:
1) July 11, 1998 Thunderbird Stadium Edgefest 98
2) July 14, 1999 Thunderbird Stadium Edgefest 99
3) Jan 2, 2001 Commodore Ballroom
4) Jan 3, 2001 Commodore Ballroom
5) July 28, 2001 False Creek SnowJam
6) May 10, 2002 Commodore Ballroom New Music West
7) May 11, 2002 Vogue Theatre New Music West
8) Apr 17, 2003 Commodore Ballroom
9) Apr 18, 2003 Commodore Ballroom
10) Apr 19, 2003 Vogue Theatre
11) Apr 25, 2003 Commodore Ballroom
12) Apr 26, 2003 Commodore Ballroom
13) Aug 2, 2003 Plaza Of Nations Celebrate BC
14) July 1, 2004 Richard's on Richards CFOX Canada Day Show
15) Aug 06, 2004 Commodore Ballroom
16) Oct 10, 2004 Vogue Theatre
17) Apr 8, 2005 Thunderbird Stadium Arts County Fair
18) Sep 13, 2005 Armoury Studios CFOX Uninvited Guest
19) Nov 4, 2005 Commodore Ballroom
20) Nov 5, 2005 Commodore Ballroom
21) Apr 20, 2006 Vancouver East Cultural Centre
22) Apr 20, 2006 Vancouver East Cultural Centre
23) Apr 20, 2006 Vancouver East Cultural Centre
24) Aug 25, 2006 MG's Living Room

I was there for his first Edgefest, last MGB show, first MG show with Christian-Pat-Mark, five crazy Avalanche Tour shows in a row, private Canada Day show, private CFOX Armoury Studios show, last show with Christian-Rich-Pat, three solo acoustic shows in Vancouver, and his last performance for now.....And I wouldn't have missed any of them for the world!

The best e-mail I've ever received

MG posted this on his blog today.

"I’m going to do a completely unplugged acoustic show – no amplification whatsoever - in my now empty living room for 20 lucky people.

When’s It Going To Happen?

Tomorrow night - Friday, August 25th, at 8pm."

I got home just after 6pm today. I saw the message and spent the next while writing an e-mail to him.

Just found out that I've been invited to the performance.

I'm excited x 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000!!!!!!!

Find what your footsteps already know

Back at the Malkin Bowl last night to watch Sarah Harmer perform. The layout of the show was different than the previous night as it was reserved seating with general admission on the side lawn. There were also a few environmental display booths setup to offer information on worthy causes such as the David Suzuki Foundation and The Land Trust Alliance of British Columbia.



Carolyn Mark opened the evening. The alt-country songstress from Victoria did a good job setting the tone and mood for a great summer night of music. Playing with Carolyn was Gregory Macdonald, former member of one of my favourite local acts Pepper Sands.

Sarah Harmer came onstage to a warm welcome and opened her set with Came On Lion. She recently did a few shows with Bruce Cockburn and this was her last date on her tour.



Sarah was exceptional on this night, much like when I saw her perform back in April. Her voice is captivating and displays a raw emotion that really connects you to her songs.

The Ontario native was accompanied by a few other musicians onstage and they sounded very tight as a collective.



During the set, Sarah mentioned there was a friend in the audience that had a special announcement to make to someone. She then performed two romantic songs, Silver Road and Open Windows.

For Lodestar, Sarah hopped on the drumkit to play out the last part of the song. Her bandmates left the stage afterwards for Sarah to perform a short solo acoustic set. The set included an excellent solo version of Basement Apt. after an audience member had requested the song.



Ms. Harmer and her bandmates sure like drinking their red wine during sets.



Other highlights from the 1hr 50min set included great performances of Coffee Stain, Greeting Card Aisle, Around This Corner, Goin' Out, and The Hideout. I loved that they played Dandelions In Bullet Holes near the end.




Setlist:



O ========= 0 Sarah's solo set
cover song
Coffee Stain
Basement Apt.

Encore:
The Hideout
Dandelions In Bullet Holes
How Deep In The Valley

As she walks the night, how many hearts will die tonight?

City And Colour played the Malkin Bowl last night.

Black Lungs was the opener. It's basically Wade MacNeil, guitarist and vocalist for Alexisonfire, playing solo with his Fender Tele. His stuff was alright. Wade also has a solo album coming out soon on Dine Alone Records.

Dallas Green played to a packed Vancouver audience. The atmosphere of the show was definitely different than when he played here back in March. Going into the concert, I was worried about the intimacy issue of the show as the Malkin Bowl is an outdoor grassy field that holds 1500 people. I wanted to make sure that the emotion of Dallas's songs would translate well across the open air venue. Having a person play solo on a big outdoor stage with minimal lighting can sometimes lessen the effect of the songs. Maybe it was because I was so focused on his performance that I didn't let any surrounding noises distract me from the show.

Dallas came onstage and opened with an untitled new song, which we'll tentatively call Cross My Heart. He was once again armed with just his Gibson ES-335 and that amazing voice. Being a general admission show, there was a crowd huddled up standing near the front of the stage, while the rest of the audience sat down behind on the grass to take in the show. People around us were quiet for the most part throughout the performance with the exceptional few.

The St. Catharines native was quite interactive with the audience as he tuned his guitar in-between songs. He plugged the new Alexisonfire album, then asked for a show of hands "Who's gonna buy it Tuesday.....Okay, who's already downloaded it".



Dallas then played a Kristofer Astrom cover of How Come Your Arms Are Not Around Me, before mentioning that he was only four songs into the set but had to pee really bad. He played one more song, Sam Malone, before once again stating his urgent need to go. With the audience support, he mentioned that he'll be stepping offstage for a quick pee break and outfit change.

Dallas came back on refreshed and went right into a riveting performance of Day Old Hate. That song gets to me everytime. He followed up with a Constantines cover of Soon Enough.

There were people in the front that kept yelling out things and Dallas would say "It's pretty quiet so you don't have to yell. We can just talk to each other". Another person also shouted out the usual "Take it off!" and Dallas responded with "If I did, it would just make me uncomfortable...so I'm not gonna".

During Casey's Song, Dallas tried to get the crowd singing along, then asked everyone to open up their cellphones and hold it up. It resulted in a pretty interesting light display.

He ended the main set with another new song called Sensible Heart. For the brief encore, Dallas came back onstage and closed with Save Your Scissors. He tried to get the crowd to sing the whole song by themselves. Unfortunately, that didn't work out as well with the mellow Vancouver crowd so he stepped in to finish it. I thought it would have been better had he ended the show with the new song instead.

Favourites from the 1hr 20min set included Hello I'm In Delaware, Day Old Hate, Like Knives, and Sensible Heart. Also, the vocals in Sam Malone are so much more intense live just like the last time I saw him.


Setlist:

untitled new song (Cross My Heart)
Comin' Home
Hello, I'm In Delaware
How Come Your Arms Are Not Around Me (Kristofer Astrom cover)
Sam Malone
Day Old Hate
Soon Enough (Constantines cover)
Sometimes
Casey's Song
Like Knives
Sensible Heart
----------
Save Your Scissors

take these hands and throw them in the river

Went to see Silver Mt. Zion play last night at Richard's.

Carla Bozulich opened. She used to play in a few other bands including The Geraldine Fibbers, Scarnella and Ethyl Meatplow. She was accompanied by four other females onstage including a cellist, who walked through the packed crowd with her instrument in hand before reaching the stage. Carla sings with much conviction in her voice and her mannerisms. The bass had a lot of reverb during the set, which drowned out the cello in the beginning. I thought her music was okay, with the best song being a Low cover that was performed.

Silver Mt. Zion arrived onstage to a full Richard's audience. It was the first time for the seven of them playing in Vancouver. The group, consisting of former members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, includes a cellist, two violinists, and a double bass player. Their orchestral sound was very impressive live.



They opened with God Bless Our Marines, followed by Mountains Made Of Steam. With their long epic tracks, they only played seven songs throughout their 1hr 40min set. During the performance, singer Efrim Menuck took the time to voice his dislike for both Douglas Coupland and Stephen Harper.

The lighting for the show was minimal as there was no one was in charge of it. The lights were left at one setting the entire night for both the opening and main acts.

For the last song of the main set, they played a new one, entitled Blind Blind Blind. The song was my favourite of the night, with all seven of them singing a cappella together near the end to produce some great harmonies. For the encore, they came back out and played another new song entitled One Million Died To Make This Sound.

It was really toasty inside Richard's during the show. I don't know how some of the hipsters managed to wear a jacket inside the venue without passing out from the heat.

Where's Gunther?

What better way to spend a nice summer day than by having a Gunther Party.










We also shot a music video that's gonna blow everyone's mind.






Gunther hits up the club scene.

the wave swinger

Went to Playland yesterday for the first time in a few years. It was a lot of fun. Had to scarf down our dinners and bolt over to the wooden roller coaster plus a few more other rides before they closed. Good to see no one puked.



Afterwards, I headed down to do our first show at the Waldorf. Good times. The first band of the night, MMF, were great. They have a White Stripes setup, but with the roles reversed as the girl played guitar and the guy was on the drums and vocals. Their sound was quite big for a two piece and had a nice classic rock feel. Looking forward to working with them again in the future.

We Looked Like Giants

Did my first set of shows the last two nights. Been meeting a lot of new people and learning about the behind the scenes venue stuff involved.

Currently watching the live feed coverage of Lollapalooza in Chicago.

nilbog is goblin spelled backwards

I have some urgent and importaint breaking news....CANNONBALL!

Golden Teddy Grahams.

Mmmmmmmmmmm.....IHOP.

It's all about the Bagel Bites.



We decided to watch Troll and Troll 2, with the sequel being rated one of the worst movies ever. You gotta love horror movies that are so bad that you're rolling on the floor and laughing the entire time.

Troll 2 has nothing to do with trolls and everything to do with goblins. In the movie, the family takes a vacation to a place called Nilbog.

Pretty much any film that features a double decker bologna sandwich in it is golden. Also, one of the goblins in the film looks like Beaker from The Muppets.



Congrats to some friends that played their first Commodore show last Friday opening for The Subways.