I fall down. You get up. Not a sound between us.

MG Show #25 - Monday September 17 - Matthew Good @ McPherson Playhouse, Victoria

Off to Victoria to catch MG Show #25 for me. I've been fortunate enough to catch Matt several times over the years without having to leave Vancouver...so I figured now would be a good time to venture out for a little change of scenery.

Tickets...check. Bag...check. Car with gas...check. Excitement...check.

Accident inside George Massey Tunnel on the way to the ferries...crap! It was a big one. I avoided an accident to get on the highway, but this would slow me down. Found out later that two semi-trailer trucks were involved with the accident inside the tunnel, which meant a lot of delays. I was stuck in traffic with nowhere to go, as with everyone else. 11am ferry sailing...not gonna happen. Thanks to the guys in Attack in Black for keeping me occupied during this long delay. Their cd is fantastic!




An hour and a half later and still no movement. We finally end up getting re-routed in a completely separate direction, where long lineups are waiting on every turn. Miss the 1pm ferry sailing but am able to catch the next one.

Fast forward a few hours and I'm finally in Victoria close to showtime.




Doors are now open and I walk inside the McPherson Playhouse and take my seat.

Dala come onstage and open. Sheila Carabine and Amanda Walther comprise the duo from Toronto who met while in highschool music class. The play a solid blend of acoustic folk-pop filled with rich harmonies. Hockey Sweater and Marilyn Monroe were my two favourite tracks from them.



Matthew takes the stage at 8:30pm to the backing track of Girl Wedged Under The Front Of The Firebird being played and follows shortly with I Am Not Safer Than A Bank. It's the opening night of his two month solo acoustic tour that will take him across the entire country and back.



Champions Of Nothing plays and hits me like a ton of bricks. MG jokes about starting his own Victoria Tours and how members of the legislature voted themselves a pay raise before taking off for a summer break. City Hall is located right beside the venue and there were thoughts later on of whether some members were in attendance at the show.

Matt mentioned that Rod was supposed to do I'm A Window with him but had to stay in Vancouver for work. Just prior to 99% Of Us Is Failure, MG discusses that the song is for Rod's dad and one of Matt's friends battling cervical cancer.

Lots of jokes with the crowd on this opening night, many of them aimed at Pete doing lighting. Someone yells out for Matt to "play the cheerleader song" (Giant)...which MG responds by jokingly saying he'll play that one, followed by "the one with the clock" (Hello Time Bomb).



A performance of Avalanche washes over me, as does his powerful voice to Catastrophe and Prime Time. Matt goes into a story about the MGB days and how he somehow managed to smash 42 Fender Stratocasters onstage between 1997 - 2000. True Love Will Find You In The End plays out the main set.

Matt starts the encore off with a nicely reworked version of Suburbia, followed by Odette. He introduces Girl In The War to the crowd, then ends the 2hr set with The Fine Art Of Falling Apart.


SETLIST:

Girl Wedged Under The Front Of The Firebird
I Am Not Safer Than A Bank
Champions Of Nothing
Born Losers
Strange Days
Black Helicopter
She's In It For The Money
I'm A Window
99% of Us Is Failure
Avalanche
Metal Airplanes
In A World Called Catastrophe
Prime Time Deliverance
Generation X-Wing
Apparitions
True Love Will Find You In The End
------------------------------------
Suburbia
Odette
Girl In The War (Josh Ritter cover)
The Fine Art Of Falling Apart



***

MG Show #26 - Tuesday September 18 - Matthew Good @ McPherson Playhouse, Victoria



Spent the day around the harbour of downtown Victoria and had some nice Fish N Chips.




Back at the venue for night #2 in Victoria. Sheila and Amanda hit the stage once again and do a fantastic job warming up the crowd. Their harmonies remind me of Cherry Bomb, who were comprised of Jenny Galt and Vicky Sjohall.




Matt comes onstage and opens with North American For Life, then into Strange Days. He debuts a new song for us. I asked him after the show about the track and he said it's an unfinished song called Silent Army In The Trees.




Empty Road makes an appearance in the set tonight, as does Alert Status Red, and If I Was A Tidal Wave.




The reworked version of Pledge Of Allegiance is wonderful and I can completely feel it beating in my heart as I watch the show.




Matt performs a cover of Keep The Customer Satisfied by Simon and Garfunkel.




Suburbia and Fated close out the show. Matt really builds up the ending of Fated on this night...stretching his vocal part at the end a few bars longer.

Set lasted 1hr 55mins.




SETLIST:

North American For Life
Strange Days
Load Me Up
Silent Army In The Trees (new song)
Black Helicopter
Empty Road
I'm A Window
99% Of Us Is Failure
Born Losers
Odette
Prime Time Deliverance
Alert Status Red
She's In It For The Money
Pledge Of Allegiance
Apparitions
-----------------
Keep The Customer Satisfied (Simon and Garfunkel cover)
If I Was A Tidal Wave
Suburbia
Fated




Special thanks to MG, Mike from Bernie Breen, and Tim the tour manager for a very memorable night.

***

MG Show #27 - Thursday September 20 - Matthew Good @ Centre For Performing Arts

Hometown shows for Matt are always fun. The atmosphere is electric and unmatched. Walking through the venue and down the aisle to our seats, many familiar faces surface. Many of Matt's family and friends are also in attendance, which means Matt will try and be on his best behavior for the night.

Dala were in fine form again opening the evening. I'm enamored with Hockey Sweater.

Matthew takes the stage to Girl Wedged Under, followed into Load Me Up and Strange Days. He's dressed in a nice blazer for the show and drinking some red wine once again throughout it...though this time in a plastic cup.

MG takes some time to discuss to horrids of event parking prices, mentioning that he doesn't see any cut of the parking revenue. He also talks about the suburbs, joking about Whalley and Poco. At one point, Matt stopped to adjust his guitar strap...jokingly saying he was doing so not because it's really bothering him, but because it doesn't look good.



A personal introduction to She's In It For The Money leads into the moving song. The setlist for the evening was very well done and carefully chosen by Matt from beginning to end, telling an exceptionally moving story for his family, friends, and fans in attendance.

The biggest performance highlight for me for the evening was seeing Rod come out onstage and perform I'm A Window with Matt. Nothing can beat watching two best friends smiling together and giving it their all onstage. They were having the time of their lives up there. That solo was fantastic!



Symbolistic White Walls, 99% Of Us Is Failure, Avalanche, Odette and Prime Time grace the show. Apparitions finishes of the main set.

During the encore, Matt notices a few people are leaving their seats and heading towards the exit. He then says with a smile that "It's probably past the two hour mark cause people are taking off...and they're gonna miss this", then launches into Suburbia.

Matt comes back on for a second encore, delivering Metal Airplanes and Fated. He then stays for another two and hammers out a tearful version of The Fine Art Of Falling Apart, and closes the night with True Love Will Find You In The End.

Set lasted 2hrs 10mins.


SETLIST:

Girl Wedged Under The Front Of The Firebird
Load Me Up
Strange Days
Born Losers
Silent Army In The Trees
Black Helicopter
She's In It For The Money
I'm A Window (w/ Rod Bruno)
Symbolistic White Walls
99% Of Us Is Failure
Avalanche
Odette
Prime Time Deliverance
Keep The Customer Satisfied (Simon and Garfunkel cover)
Pledge Of Allegiance
Apparitions
---------------------
North American For Life
Champions Of Nothing
Suburbia
---------------------
Metal Airplanes
Fated
The Fine Art Of Falling Apart
True Love Will Find You In The End