Between The Rock And A Hard Place: Newfoundland, Great Big Sea, Alan Doyle, And Even Russell Crowe

"The Colour Of The Sun And His Eyes Were Green" - Regina GBS Show

The Tennessee Stud was long and lean
The color of the sun and his eyes were green
He had the nerve and he had the blood
There never was a horse like Tennessee Stud. - Johnny Cash

I don't have much time to write about last night's Regina show - there's just one bus that gets me into Edmonton in time for tonight's show and it leaves soon.  No way am I missing Kris's solo tonight, and the Hallelujah It's Back return of Straight To Hell last night also has me eagerly anticipating tonight's encores too.  I am going to be on that bus when it pulls out of Regina.

I still feel like shit for not getting anything - audio or video - from Alan's dandy She Ain't Pretty solo in Saskatoon. The Regina venue is nearly as hardcore anti-camera as TCU Place in Saskatoon; I think I passed about 2 dozen NO CAMERAS/RECORDING DEVICES signs on the way in to my seat ("And the sign said..."), but this time I did manage to at least get audio of Murray's solo, as well as audio of both Dream To Live and my own particular favourite part of the show, the show-closing, roof-bringing-down rendition of the much-missed-of-late Straight To Hell. I've got all three audio files uploaded to Megaupload and am working on getting Murray's up on YouTube too, a bit weird with no picture to go with the sound (one of these days, I need to learn how to put up a photo/slide show with the sound track playing behind it, but that's for sure not going to happen today) but it should work well enough for those who can't get Megaupload to work for them.

Tennessee Stud, Murray Foster (solo), Great Big Sea, Megaupload Download Audio File, Conexus Centre, Regina. November 2008 (1.65 MB, Quicktime Audio File)

YouTube Version of Tennessee Stud by Murray Foster (audio only)

I didn't get Murray's intro recorded - I was still conducting a nonverbal negotiation with Security Dude in regard to getting it recorded - but what Murray said was that for the past solo spots he'd been doing singer-songwriter stuff that was "two octaves above my range, of course" and that this time he was saying "Screw that; tonight I'm singing a song that's in my range". He sure got that one right.

And then an audio file of my personal favourite Regina-show moment, followed by a slightly muffled but still powerful live version of the Fortunate Tour show-stopper song.

Straight To Hell (show-closer, with final intros), Megaupload Audio Download File, Great Big Sea, Conexus Centre, Regina, November 2008 (2.5 MB, Quicktime Audio File)

Dream To Live, Megaupload Audio File, Great Big Sea, Conexus Centre, Regina, November 2008 (2.25 MB, Quicktime Audio File)

By the time Alan got around to sending that shiver down my spine with the Big Power Chord and his plaintive cry of "Love me now...", I might have been able to get away with videoing the sheer pleasure that was Straight To Hell, but the security dude near me had already been sweet enough to allow me to move away from a thoroughly unfortunate seatmate (some people should simply never get drunk...enough said), and I really did not want to trespass any further on his good will in such a tightly-clenched-sphincter (and not in the good way) sort of venue, same principle when it came to refraining from photos too. So audio-only, along with Heaven On Earth, will have to do. Better than I did for Alan's She Ain't Pretty Saskatoon solo.

I was totally surprised by the differences between the Saskatoon and Regina audiences; Regina definitely came to party - as Alan noted, it looked as if the crowd had begun its own concert some time earlier than show time and it was up to the band to catch up to where their audience was. And so they did, with the clapping, cheering, foot-stomping support of that crowd every step of the way.

Along with the Thornhill Stud's excellent turn at doing Johnny and being swept Straight To Heaven for the final encore, Dream To Live was once again a show-stopper. I had another one of those great sidelong views of the crowd and the looks on most of the faces around me were ones of pure awe at hearing this live, probably for the first time for many if not most of those present. And even though some have probably heard it live before (though maybe not many...it was pointed out to me last night that GBS has not played Regina since 2005, a fact I had forgotten), River Driver was breathtaking. I found it breathtaking, and God knows I have certainly heard it before. Alan's WIAK lead solo was frigging hot too, and back to front and centre, right where he belongs.

Best comments of the evening were Alan's tale of the little lost dog he came across while jogging around Wascana Lake, a terrier pup named Angel. Dear Sweet Man that he is, Alan took the time to call the phone number on pup's collar tag and then he kept Angel at the tour bus until her human came to claim her. He already had full claim and outright possession of tender heart with that story, but then he sealed the deal even further by again taking the time to be a sweetheart at show's close, distributing guitar picks to the children in the front row. Someone deserves a big hug, maybe even a kiss on the cheek, for being such an Angel himself. One whose horns keep his halo aloft...he does it all so well and he makes it so easy to say "Yes" to that plea.

Couple of quick notes before I scramble down for my free breakfast and then off to the bus for the long ride to Edmonton:

No, I officially and absolutely do not have any video or pictures of Thunder Bay Streaker Dude. Between the Himbits in circular motion smack dab in front of me and my own imagination as to the dazzling potential of onstage nudity at Great Big Sea shows (thinking of Excursion fist pumps and WIAK lead solos here), I was a bit distracted. Glad of it too - it seems there are some folks looking for video/pics as evidence to nail Streaker Dude for his supposed transgressions. Sometimes being lost in a daze of hypothetical lust comes in handy.

And I know I'm behind on comments, though I have been reading them and appreciating them as well. I'm behind on everything, including email. I'll try to catch up on the off day bewtween Calgary and Vancouver. One quick response to those perturbed about snarky comments made to Sean on his blog: Sean McCann is probably one of the best at "considering the source," enough so that most of the rest of us would do well to learn that same lesson from him, myself at the top of that list. He sets a very good example for the following in that regard, and I intend to follow that very good example as best I can.

Last note to the creep who has been crawling through my blog (and God only knows how many other places) hunting for pictures of Alan's wife and child: Fuck off and go the hell away. You are not welcome here and if there were some way to ban your sorry, prying arse, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Now, breakfast and bus.

"But You Know It's Not That Easy" - Doing Good Work In Saskatoon

Some time ago, in a discussion about having to get packed before heading out on the road, Alan described Molly as the little black dog who wishes every day could be exactly like the one before. Those words have stayed with me; there are times I feel a lot like Molly. Though I suppose much depends on which day it is you are wishing could be relived - over and over, again and again.

I don't have a lot from last night's TCU Place show in Saskatoon - it's one of the most hard-core No Cameras/Recording/Etc. venues in all of Canada, and I really wanted to be able to see all of the show. Alan's solo was perfectly site-specific. He did a sold-out-crowd-rousing version of a song by local boys The Northern Pikes ("One of the all-time best Canadian bands"): She Ain't Pretty, She Just Looks That Way. He sang and played it great and the crowd got into the choruses; I wish I could have videoed it, but not in that particular here and now. I did try to get an audio file of it, but even that much cameraward movement earned me an evil glance from the security guard who was less than 6 feet away from my rather exposed vantage point. So unless someone farther back and better tucked-away managed to video Alan's Saskatoon solo, this is going to be one of those times when you really did have to be there, and I am very glad that I was. He rocks with the very best of them, and he did some nifty guitar work too.

Best of all, the crowd loved the nod to "their" hometown heroes. There were people still talking about how cool Alan's solo was all the way back out of the venue after the show's end. Every time I begin to wish again that these solos could be more about songs they have written themselves or songs that have more of a personal meaning to the players (Bob has been bucking the local-enphasis trend, Murray too), I remember all the singing along and the enthusiastic responses to the local tunes. These solos have turned into a very savvy performance decision.

Several standout moments during this show were the perfectly modulated tenderness of Captain Wedderburn, done as an exquisitely delicate song for an audience that had the grace to enjoy it in hushed silence. That hush was more one of awe for Dream To Live, which deserved every bit of that awe; this song with its great arrangement and powerful execution has become a real show-stopper.

Deserved compliments given, now for one outright (opinionated) criticism: While Excursion is still fresh and sweet and delightful (to me it is, but then I am quite subjective about it because I do so love the Excursion Around Alan view the tune provides...no man on the planet looks better than he does with his fists pumped high in the air), I think Fortune is sounding too tired - more to the point, they play it as if they are a bit tired of it - to be as effective a show-closer as their Fortunate Tour show deserves.

That is not a criticism of their ending the show with a trad piece - I have loved Fortune during the many, many, (many) times they have closed with it during the past two tours, and I agree that kicking up the trad stuff, which they did in Saskatoon, was a canny call for this kind of audience in this type of venue. I may not be fond of the song, but I'd be an idiot not to notice that this crowd went nuts when they finally recognised the lead-in to Donkey Riding, same with Mari Mac and General Taylor. But Fortune did not carry the crowd the same way and that has been consistent at recent shows, though I'm not at all sure if Saskatoon was a suitable crowd for an Oh Yeah/Gallows Pole/Straight To Hell encore ending (but I bet Ferryland Sealer would have been a big hit).

Best banter of the evening centred on Alan's difficulty with the chill in the air while jogging over Saskatoon's many bridges, especially in his "personal spots". Frozen pickles and marbles were mentioned. There was also a Thunder Bay Streaker recap ("I looked up and all I saw was arse" per Alan...when I looked up, all I could see was the flip side of that particular view), and Alan had another endearing boasting moment about those monogrammed guitar straps that make him feel like who he is - a Rock Star.  On a more thoughtful note, I also enjoyed Sean's discussion of shared Have status in both Saskatchewan and Newfoundland, most of all his suggestion that the two Haves form a coalition - and then "Ontario can go south".  A real crowd-pleaser.

I did take a few pictures at the very end of the show, partly because Evil Eye Security Guard had switched sides with Clueless Dude Security Guard by then and partly because the rules always get a bit lax near the very end of the show. For just a few shots, they do tell an interesting story, and they express quite well how I myself felt about this show, which is to say, they get me feeling a lot like Alan's little black dog in all of her wistful longing.

Not taking pictures or video nearly all show long made for a much wider, clearer view of the overall show, onstage and off, than I often get. I will never cease to be amazed by watching Alan work his crowd, seeing the eyes in restless motion while the mind ceaselessly notes and plans and strives...and succeeds in the goal of getting those present up and involved and drawn outside of themselves into the larger Community Of The Evening. From where I was off to the side I could see them all, working as a unified whole toward that same goal. I enjoy watching them work, forever and always admire the dedicated effort undertaken with such skill and purpose and determination. In my eyes, Great Big Sea are Craftsman of Community, a brand new and completely different community every night, unique and ephemeral and each in its own way unforgettable. They do good work.

Off to Regina, on the late bus, since I slept in and missed the early bus.

"Sky High, And I Never Wanna Come Down" - The Return Of The Rock Star: Winnipeg GBS Show (Videos and Photos, eventually)

ETA: For once, instead of saving the Best for last, I'm going to begin with that Best. Oh Yeah, Great Big Sea, MTS Centre, Winnipeg. Rock on.

Winnipeg is the Canadian town that's the most like St. John's. - Sean McCann

I feel like a ROCK STAR! - Alan "Love Bomb" Doyle

Winnipeg rocked. Not "rawked", mind you, no silly, cutesy wannabe-cool nonsense permitted here...Great Big Sea at the MTS Centre were truly cool, no pretenses or poses necessary. Winnipeg frigging rocked.

I see a lot of Good GBS shows and quite a few Great GBS shows. For brief periods of time, all of that goodness and greatness tends to cause me to lose track of what an Absolutely Spectacular GBS show is like...but never for very long. They reminded me again what comprises Absolutely Spectacular last night in Winnipeg. They were on fire last night - how fitting that ignition would occur in a city that has loved them almost from the very beginning, a city that truly is the closest you can get to St. John's while still being landlocked (I didn't realise this was why I liked Winnipeg so much because I had been there several times before I made it to St. John's...but Sean is absolutely right about the fundamental similarities). No city on this tour schedule is more deserving, or more likely, to bring out the best and the brightest from the Best and the Brightest than is Winnipeg.

And to bring out my favourite Rock Star, who made delight doubly so by showing himself off to perfection in that gorgeous shirt, the one that looks so good on him that the only way it could possibly look any better would be if it had just been peeled off of him. Bless the MTS Centre folks for providing the most appropriate accessory to perfect shirt and gorgeous Rock Star, to all of the gorgeous Rock Stars: monogrammed guitar straps, with "Fortune's Favour" and their names on each one.

Only the second time the MTS Centre has bequeathed such a generous gift on visiting artists (the other time was for Tom Petty), this monogrammed strap did a wonderfully bang-up job of convincing Alan that he truly is exactly what it made him feel like: An honest-to-goodness bonafide Rock Star. I love anyone or anything that makes him believe he's the man he was born to be.  Born to burn. Let the Love Bomb explode at will.

This was such a grand show, on every level: Performances, sound, lights, crowd - it was all good, every bit of it. Sean's cover of Neil Young's Helpless was exquisite; he does Young's style of song beautifully. As much as I love Hard Case, making the switch to put Ferryland Sealer up in its spot worked very well, and Winnipeg was a great place to play Everything Shines too. Gallows Pole and Oh Yeah were a one-two encore punch that seriously expands the perception of who the men of Great Big Sea are and what they are capable of doing...and the Winnipeg crowd opened their arms wide to embrace that expanded perception. I especially loved the chants of "Oh Yeah!" coming back at Alan from the crowd, particularly from the pack of gleefully headbanging kids in the row behind me. It really was a sold-out show too, even if not technically. MTS staffers told me all the originally 3700 allocated tickets did sell out and then they opened up another area up top to accommodate the continued demand for tickets.

As I was scurrying out of the MTS post-show to get down to the bus terminal, I was listening to the conversations all around me, in-the-moment personal show reviews in abundance. One young lady was talking about how much she'd enjoyed the new music, and how "brave they are for doing so much new shit everybody doesn't already know". Her fellow began to bitch about feeling left out when those who did know the new tunes were singing along. Just as I scooted past them, I saw Young lady raise an eyebrow and give Her Fellow a sidelong glance, then heard her say in a scathing tone, "Well then, buy the CD, ya idiot." Young love and merch sales, an unbeatable combination.

Speaking of which, I watched the furious pace of those merch sales for a bit pre-show; there were four people working the merch booth, working as fast and as hard as they could to make some headway in the very long line of waiting customers. Lovely, lovely sight.

Alright, I am going to have to put this one up in segments, I think. YouTube is being a pissy little bitch, making me hold its hand while each video goes up instead of just letting me load a sequence into the uploader, and I have about 50 other things I need to be doing right now. It was a long ride into my second-favourite Mainland Canada town (Winnipeg is first and Saskatoon second, right from the very first time in both towns, during the Sea Of No Cares Tour); I was on a bus heading out of Winnipeg by 11;45 pm last night and did not get in till nearly noon today. There's still showering and calling home and eating and pinting to be done - no great challenge of distance since the shower is three steps away and the phone 1.5 steps in this small room, and the eating and the pinting are right downstairs (I love the place I stay in Saskatoon because the hotel is right next to - and the rooms are right over - the pub...we even have our own private entry door), but every frigging time I walk away from the laptop for more than a few minutes the server resets the connection and I lose my current YouTube upload. I have just started Gallows Pole over again for the third time, and I have yet to do Oh Yeah, saving the very best for last. Like dessert.

Ah, dessert...now that brings to mind Oreo cookies (well, that and the topic of onstage nudity, but I'll save that for another time) and that brings to mind the most delectable middle of all.

That's a very good place for taking a wee break. I'll put up the YouTube videos I've managed to complete so far, and as soon as I get Gallows Pole and Oh Yeah finished, I'll edit them in too.

Helpless (Sean's solo)

Singalongs, up delightfully closer than I'd originally intended.

A soulful General Taylor.

Just a snippet, this, but an irresistible snippet. A bit of Lookin' For Love.

And that will have to do until I finally get the other two to upload. Gallows Pole is close, and then it will be time for Oh Yeah and (love) bombs away. The rest of the photos - yes, of everyone, actually some really nice Bob shots from this show - are going to have to wait. And for those who like the higher quality of the Megaupload version, I will eventually get those up too, though both that and photos might take some time to get done.

ETA: Finally got Gallows Pole up. Still waiting on Oh Yeah, but that is one wait that is always worth it.

I can hear the music already playing downstairs in the pub. It's Friiiiiiday Night, Friday Night in Saskatoon.

"And If I Let My Hair Down" - Pink Icing and Full Frontal Nudity: Thunder Bay (Videos & A Few Photos)

Great Big Sea does Thunder Bay.

And visions of a Rock Star, in all of his incendiary manifestations. Still clothed, sorry to say, but who ever said life was perfect?

Stark naked dude on the stage - not the right stark naked dude, mind you, but stark naked dude nonetheless. Just when you start to think you've seen it all at Great Big Sea shows...you wind up seeing it all at a Great Big Sea show.

Nothing quite like a front row seat for an eyeful (two eyesful) of the nude dude running across the stage during - of course - Consequence Free, waggling his dangly bits (buddy's got rhythm, that much I'll give him) and then apparently making a clean getaway - consequence free, as it were - outside across the field, "wearing" nothing but a cardboard box on a frigid November Thunder Bay night. A little bit of anarchy indeed. Alan laughed himself flat on the floor, Bob giggled, Sean was rather impressively unflappable...kind of like he sees hairy naked dudes giving it the bump and grind and revolving their bits in front of him day in and day out. Sometimes I wonder what the frig takes place on that tour bus. Perhaps with the right naked dude.

Not a bit of it caught on camera, I'm (not really) sorry to say. Not that I didn't have plenty of time and certainly a quite clear view to do so if I'd chosen. But I was, shall we say, a bit bemused by it all - distracted, as it were. First thought being that there was another idiot running around up on their stage, second thought being that it was bit unusual for it to be a male idiot, third thought being "Is that male idiot wearing any clothes?", fourth thought being "Holy shit, no he isn't". Then it became a matter of judicious perusal and thoughtful reflection on the overall concept of onstage nudity. And then a bit more perusal. As Alan said, "Never a dull moment".

Far more impressive than buddy's need to let his hair down was this show's solo spot, taken by Bob instead of Sean (who looked as if he might be feeling a bit under the weather). After a totally winning intro - Bob is proving to be a master at these intros - he performed a traditional tune, accompanying himself on the guitar, first time I have ever seen Bob playing that particular instrument. It was an evening for seeing unexpected instruments.

Curragh Of Kildare

Thunder Bay was an interesting show, for more reasons than the unexpected anatomical display. I'm still trying to get over how different the venue and crowd were from the last time I was at the Community Auditorium (2004 - I skipped the TBay show in 2006), again, different for more reasons than simply the unencumbered view of dangly Himbits. Going in, I'd been worried about them starting out another challenging tour leg in this particular venue; my last time there, much of the crowd had a stick up its collective arse and the venue had felt inhibitory, to say the least. Not too many inhibitions in evidence at the Community Auditorium this night. Perhaps everyone had been indulging in Persians, Thunder Bay's very own pastry of first choice, with as much abandon and pleasure as had the band members. Maybe that's what created such a surprisingly lively, nearly-sold-out crowd this time around. Perhaps an excess of that pink icing could be cited as the cause of buddy's Waggling/Dangling Episode too.

Or maybe credit (blame in buddy's case) is due to a well-played and -performed show, a very good outing overall, especially for the first show of a long run taking place after a long day flying in. Some nice additions to the set list for this one - in particular Penelope and Captain Wedderburn (and the absence of Donkey Riding, always a noteworthy occasion for me). The single encore of Walk On The Moon (with hilariously appropos intro from Alan), Old Black Rum, and Rant & Roar felt a bit abbreviated to me, but the crowd seemed to be feeling quite content on the way out.

A totally different attitude this time toward cameras too. Last time around, it was no cameras, no photos, no nothing or else you will find yourself tossed out on your little arse. This time I watched and waited while others snapped away merrily before partaking in the same activity myself. I was so wary of video that I waited until Bob's solo and pretty much held the camera at chest level while watching him perform, hoping to make it look like a non-video event. Clearly, I didn't need to worry. People all around me were being much more open about it, one fellow back behind me with a real video camera, another with a full-fledged digital "professional" camera. No clue why the difference from one show to the next. I never have a clue about venue policies and cameras - I just go with the flow where I am because God only knows what will or won't be allowed next time.

That said, here is most of what I got from the TBay show. There's still an uproarious Impromptu Song, all about pink icing and full-frontal nudity, that I don't think I am going to have time to get uploaded before I have to leave to catch my bus to Winnipeg. We'll see how it goes.

Tunes Up Close

The charm and delight that is Penelope, with lead solos from the charming and delightful guitarist

Walk On The Moon, with situationally appropriate intro

This one just barely squeaked in before I have to head out to catch my bus: The Thunder Bay Impromptu Song.

One note I wanted to make about this crowd, something that genuinely surprised me and might be one of the reasons why this crowd was as lively as it was: Wandering around through the crowd during the break and afterwards, I saw the usual wide spread in ages you always see at a GBS show, but I also noticed a larger proportion of young folks - really young, as in under 20 or so - than I have seen at any GBS show in a long time. Excellent to see, boding well for the future, as was the fast and furious pace of merch sales also a lovely sight to behold. Perhaps best of all was how many people around me - young and old alike - were singing every single word of the new music, and with gusto. Showing even more gusto than buddy with the dangly Himbits.

Full frontal nudity and pink Persian icing. Only in Thunder Bay. I'll have to keep right on hoping for the right nude dude. Speaking of gusto.

Off to the Land Of The Greyhound.

"There's No Stoppin' Once You've Started, You Can't Unring A Bell" - Getting Ready For Out & On The Road Again

For those who don't know where this entry's lyric title line comes from:

Hold On For Your Life (1-2-3-4/Here We Go Again)

I like this song - it's honest, sweet, and ironic all at once, and it's subtle too. No wonder Hawksley didn't get it. I hope it finds its rightful place on the next GBS CD.

I've got a few hours before I have to head out for yet another early flight (the earlier, the cheaper - as a general rule), nearly ready to go, just a few more details to take care of and a few more things to pack. A little less behind than I usually am, hut one of these days it would be nice to actually sleep before getting on the plane. I never seem to get caught up enough to pull that one off.

I didn't get anywhere near what I wanted do finished over this short break. When I got in on Sunday, I was surprised to find out the Canadian Folk Music Awards were that night; I'd been positive they were on Tuesday. It was a good time (though woefully underattended) - and I've got some priceless video of Shelagh Rogers and company dancing their hearts out during the finale, good video of Figgy Duff's performance too - but by the end of the evening I was desperate for sleep...I very nearly curled up underneath the table at the Duke in search of a nap. And that is what I spent most of Monday doing - sleeping. I was awale just long enough for a tasty supper at the Classic, then one more visit to the Duke before heading back to bed again. Tuesday has been all about taking care of business: doctors, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking (I always cook before I leave, on both sides of the continent, so those I am not with will be eating well while I'm gone), and a pile of travel details.

I've no clue how others react to short breaks between travel, only that I find them a bit disorienting. The time for rest is appreciated, but the whole matter of being in a place where you can really relax and be yourself (lucky me in that I have two places where I feel safe that way, on both sides of the continent) and just as soon as you get yourself into that vulnerable relaxed state in the safe place(s), there you go again out into the places where it makes sense to be a bit more careful. Disconcerting.

But not so disconcerting as to be resistible. I was questioned recently as to whether I still get excited about going to shows, even after having seen so many of them. I've been thinking about that question as I get my bag packed up tonight, thinking too about that last performance I saw in Oshawa, the kind of performance that stands out even for a person who has seen many such remarkable shows in the past and who fully expects to see more in the future. I honestly do not believe there are many bands, now or ever, whose shows could continue to give as much pleasure and insight and delight as is still there to be found in abundance at their shows.

But most of all, most pleasurable and most wonderful of all, chief delight and foremost fascination, continuing challenge and lasting thrill to mind and heart alike, there is The Rock Star - with electric or acoustic, bouzouki or a cappella, still and forever and always The Rock Star - the Petty Harbour Boy with the sweetest and the dearest face (and the sexiest belly) of all.

Yes. That fellow. He's the one.

So then, the answer would be "Yes, I still get excited about the shows."

Time to go finish up packing. I'll try to get comments up and answered sometime later today.  I have been informed that my hotel for tonight has a nice little pub right there in it, so if I do not get around to comments today, well, there's always Winnipeg.

"Spirits Open To The Thrust Of Grace" Part One - Oh Yeah, Oshawa

No time at all to do Oshawa justice right now. Oshawa is significant for several reasons, chief among them being the one Alan pointed out during this show: Oshawa is where Murray played his first "permanent member of GBS" gig.  More to come about this sold-out and brilliant Oshawa show when there is sufficient time to write it properly, but before I head out to catch a cab  to Pearson, I wanted to put up a few highlights from this Oshawa show.

First up, Kris's solo. He tackled Bruce Cockburn's (and BNL's covered) Lovers In A Dangerous Time:

When Alan came back out on stage he was bubbling over with admiration for Kris's handling of the challenging guitar part: "He played all the way down the neck! I don't play all the way down the neck!"

Along with Kris's solo, another Big Highlight of this show for me was the very welcome return of the Sexiest Rock Star Of All, performing the much-missed, much-loved, and most-welcome-in-return Oh Yeah.

And speaking lovers in dangerous times and of being dazzled by the beauty of it all, along with love bombs and bonfires burning through the night...the man who is even more gorgeous without the electric than he is with it - and who is still every inch the Rock Star with or without it - because the clearest view is the loveliest view of all. The man who has made Excursion into the sexiest song of all and who is always the Chief Highlight for me.

Oh Yeah, Oshawa.

And that is all for now if I am going to get packed up and to the airport on time.

"Stopped In My Tracks By Some Vision Of You" (updated) - Hamilton Place Show, Alan Doyle's Solo (Falling Down Blue)

ETA: Many thanks to Mary, who, much to my own relief, has found someone else's video of Murray's Kitchener solo on YouTube, with even more thanks to the intrepid videographer:

Murray Foster's She's No Lady, She's My Wife solo, Kitchener, YouTube link

Way to go, Mary...and Murray.

***************************************************************************************************************************

Very good news, followed by very bad news...

Always, always, begin with the Very Good:

Falling Down Blue, Alan Doyle, solo

It finally works right,sound and picture in sync, a wonderful man performing a beautiful song with power and passion. Turns out all the troubles getting it to play right were because YouTube can't handle Quicktime edits; I'd trimmed off the very first part that is so bouncy because the standing crowd decided to sit down when Alan began and I had to sit while videoing. That got the audio and video segments out of sync for YouTube, though Megaupload handled it fine (and the quality really is much better with the Mega download, considerably closer to the original-file quality). Good thing I didn't go with my original intentions to edit out the adjacent motor-mouth's blather during Alan's intro or it would have been even more out of sync...and his intro would be gone too, no way that's a good choice. I'll have to take the blame for that exasperated sigh heard early on...that person next to me really wasn't much fun to have to listen to all show long, though I did enjoy how she finally fell silent when Alan began to sing and play.

Download version of Falling Down Blue, Alan Doyle (solo), Hamilton Place (275 MB)

Alright, after all the pleasure and delight comes time for the bad news. It looks like the video of Murray's great solo version of Lyle Lovett's "She's No Lady, She's My Wife" is not going to work. Damn, damn, damn. Same frigging glitch that undid the video of Ron Hynes on stage with Alan singing Boston & St. John's (still kills me to have lost that one...I think about it every single time Alan sings Boston). There does not seem to be any good reason why this particular glitch happens (so I am told); it just occurs every now and then, and you are simply fucked when it does, and not in the good way.

I am going to set aside the photo card and keep the video file on it until I get back home and see if a friend of mine who is good at this sort of thing might be able to recover the data, but it did not work for the same error message on the Boston/Ron Hynes file, so chances of success are pretty damn slim. Shit. It was such a great number - Murray whistled a solo part, then did a bit of jazz-style vocal scatting, all while the crowd roared and cheered and chanted his name, and then Alan came out on his knees in obeisant admiration - absolutely wonderful to be able to be there to see and hear it all and I wish it could be shared. I suppose this is one of those times when memory will have to (selfishly) suffice. But if/when my buddy recovers the file, I'll be sure to put it up here.

There are times when technology sure is distressingly random, a bit of a crap shoot when it comes to what gets saved and what is inexplicably and irretrievably lost.  Metaphor for life, I suppose. I have to say though, I am endlessly grateful the video of Alan's Falling Down Blue solo is working correctly. Murray's solo was a blast and it sucks to have lost the video, but losing Alan's solo would have been like losing a piece of my heart.

Time for me to head out into the Big Smoke for a shopping expedition. I'll set the Kitchener Singalongs video (which works fine and is delightful) to uploading and YouTubing while I am gone, though I am still feeling really, really bad that Murray's won't be one of them. The sweet fellow at the HiEx front desk put me in one of the "hard-wired" rooms so I will have a good connection, which means I can get all remaining video files up now, post-Oshawa too if I have time after the show and before I have to head to Pearson to catch my ugly-early flight back to St. John's. Where I get to go back to be scrutinised by the doctor again before heading to Thunder Bay and points West - not much fun there, but I'm thinking the rest of those few days in town can be properly utilised for recreational activities.  

They are going to have a hard time topping Kitchener at the Oshawa show. I'm looking forward to Kris's solo (if they don't make him sing his solo to the truckers, that is). Sixth straight show too, not at all an easy feat to pull off. Then home for a few and right back out again - a silly schedule in some ways (sure worked to my benefit with my check-up, though...Folk Awards too), but if it gives them some sort of a break, any sort of a  break, that's good in and of itself. They've got 9 in 11 coming up after the foolish little break.  Here's wishing them even better recreational activities for those few days.

Stll amused by the truckers' convention gig. Not quite my stereotype of the typical GBS fan. It should be interesting.

Alright, edited out the rest of the troubles with getting the video to work properly now that it's all resolved.  But this gorgeous man can stay...always:

Falling Down Blue (Blue Rodeo)

Everyone tells me I'm lucky
Got my whole life to live yet
I can't say they're wrong
But the days seem so long
Living inside of my head

Maybe I'll get some relief now
Now that your things are all gone
I won't sit here staring
At nothing all night
Bleary-eyed greeting the dawn


All right I miss you tonight
And I'm not really sure what to say
It keeps rolling in like a slow moving train
It gets harder and harder each day
Each time I think that the worst of it's through
I am stopped in my tracks by some vision of you
All right I miss you tonight
I admit that I'm falling down blue

She lived outside of the city
On days when I'd visit her there
I'd watch her out dancing
All lit by the moon
The cold winds of time in her hair
Then we'd go driving for hours
Turn off the lights and just glide
Moving like spirits
Along through the night
The light through the trees as our guide

All right I miss you tonight
And I'm not really sure what to say
It keeps rolling in like a slow moving train
It gets harder and harder each day
Each time I think that the worst of it's through
I am stopped in my tracks by some vision of you
All right I miss you tonight
I admit that I'm falling down blue

Someone near and dear to me once said Falling Down Blue is the perfect I've Lost You song, the kind of song that makes his heart ache with a longing to embrace the person he wishes were still by his side. I disagreed. I told him Falling Down Blue is the perfect Loving You Is Too Precious To Risk Losing You song, the kind of song that makes my heart ache with a Promise keep on loving for as long as the choice is mine to make.

Alan's solo version of Falling Down Blue last night in Hamilton Place broke my heart, sweetly and tenderly and with the ache that is both pleasure and pain. It was so moving that I never got quite all the way back into the flow of the show. Walking back to the hotel afterwards along a silent street, the crunch of my boots in the fresh-fallen snow was in time with a song I was still singing quietly to myself, the ache and the Promise keeping me company last night. I woke up with both of them this morning, and I expect each will be travelling along with me today and on all the days to come. And that is a powerful performance by the man who does it all so well.

I'm not sure what else to say about the Hamilton show. As I said, I spent much of the latter part of it lost together with the performer in his song. The venue was certainly spiffy and the crowd enthusiastic (with the usual contingent of requisite Idiots). The music was played well and received well (Dream To Live was a show-stopper, again). The banter, especialy the Sex Pistols/Sex Pudding bits, was cute and funny. I wasn't thrilled some of what was (and what was not) on the set list - though it was very nice to hear Everything Shines again - but the majority of the crowd sure seemed to love it, and that's what matters. I was still too caught up in Alan's song at the end of the show to remember to get a set list, but it was pretty much along the usual lines (Jack Hinks back in place of Lukey, Captain Kidd instead of Donkey Riding), with the addition of Everything Shines, a lovely Captain Wedderburn, and a somewhat abbreviated single encore that included Walk On The Moon, Old Black Rum, Excursion (delightful as always, the most gorgeous view of all...this is where the "stopped in my tracks" photo above comes from, and I have a whole series of gorgeous photos of gorgeous man from this song), and ending with Rant & Roar.

Again, I'm not sure what to say beyond this much. I really was lost in a lingering moment, and that has to impact overall perception. And it is very difficult to tread water - let alone to swim - against the "It was the most wonderful show ever played" tide. Then there's the whole Positive PR thing too. Given all of that, I think maybe I will just say it was a good show that was well-suited and -played to its crowd, but that I also think that to some extent the players are still in the process of fully realising their "vibe" (since they all love that word so much) for these Canadian shows. And if I may be so bold and cheeky as to make a suggestion, that suggestion would be that on these Big Stages with the Big Lights and the Big Crowds, most of all while performing this wonderfully Big Music...they might consider playing it a bit larger than they have so far. I miss my Rock Star. Badly.

And anything more, including a working YouTube version of Alan's solo (plus the Singalongs and the Impromptu Hamilton song) will have to wait till I get over to Kitchener. If the bus runs on schedule, I just might have enough time to edit a few more of those gorgeous track-stopping photos too.

"All I Need" - Barrie (Molson Centre GBS Show - Pictures & Videos)

And the boy with his parents in the house.

Cum Hear The Band (Bob's solo, w. intro, accompanied on guitar by Brit)

Download Version Of Barrie Cum Hear The Band, Bob Solo, w. Intro (225 MB)

Company Of Fools

Download version Barrie Company Of Fools (210 MB)

Barrie Impromptu Song

Download version Barrie Impromptu Song (100 MB)

Barrie Set List

Set One
Tonight
Process Man
Paddy Murphy
When I'm Up
Lukey
England
Charlie Horse
Hard Case
Sea Of No Cares (radio/CD version)
River Driver
Here & Now
Cum Hear The Band (Bob Solo)
Company Of Fools
Run, Runaway

Set Two
Tunes
Donkey Riding
When I Am King
Rover
Penelope
General Taylor
Scolding Wife
Helmethead
Dream To Live
Consequence Free
Mari Mac
Ordinary Day

Encores
Walk On The Moon
Barrie Song/Old Black Rum

Gallows Pole
Excursion
Fortune

A big, enthusiastic crowd (I heard people saying it was so good to see Great Big Sea back in Barrie over and over and over again - before, after, and during the show) and an energetic show...another great solo spot, this time by Bob (who really has a lovely voice, along with a very winning stage presence, and Brit's quite a good guitarist)...the return of Lukey, which more than made up for the inclusion of Donkey Riding (pretty cool little bodhran intro to DR, though)...those wonderful little Penelope lead solos...the "hits" version of Sea Of No Cares making for a refreshing change and also a sweet reminder (my first time in Barrie was for the SoNC tour)...Gallows Pole was clearly almost totally unexpected and blew that crowd away...nice folks everywhere (each time I've been to Barrie, the people here have been nice), only a few jerks, and even that only at the very end of the show...the sound was as good as you can get it in a rink and the lights were dazzling...absolutely nothing but rave reviews all around me the entire slow way up off the floor and out the venue.

Alan looked like he was having a grand time up there, as did they all. He looked like it was going well and most of all he looked like he was in the exact place where he most wants to be. And he was wonderful. All I need. So what else can I say other than that I loved the show? There are times when sweet and simple is the best course to take, the only course to take.

Now to get back into and through Toronto before it begins to snow there because I for sure do not want to miss the Hamilton show and Alan's solo. If the news reports are to be believed, it looks as if TO panics even more about a bit of snow than Seattle and Vancouver do. Perhaps the Army will be called in to keep order.

"Are You On My Side" - Kingston, First Night Of The Canadian Fortunate Tour (Videos)

Alan's From The Road

Tour Diary- November 17, 2008 - St. John’s Airport

Digital clock in the upper right hand corner of the MacBook Pro reads 5:58.  I’ve been up for an hour, making it a 5am rise, give or take a moment or two.  That’s 3:30am EST.  We hit the stage in Kingston at 8pm EST, but have a bunch of duties to fulfill en route.  Before the first chord is struck in song #1 of tonight’s soiree, I have to take a near four hour flight, drive downtown Toronto and tape a songwriters show called “Drive” on CBC 2, do two other radio shows, drive from Toronto to Kingston, doing phone interviews wherever cell service will allow, meet several press commitments in Kingston upon arrival, and host a Soundcheck Party, at the hockey rink, shower, change and get myself to stage side for 7:55pm. 

Gotta Love it.  Days like this energize me in a way that a rainy day on the bus in the middle of a tour does not.  It’s such a privilege to still be operating at this level in the troubled music business, which has eaten many of its young and promising acts in recent years. 

  

GBS played a gig in St. John’s on Saturday night for a private, ‘win to get in’ kind of event and I had the rare opportunity to roam around George Street late night.  I got to see five or six bands playing the clubs.  I recognized many folks who had been playing the circuit when I started there as a solo singer in 1989.   Three or four of the folks I saw, sing and play much better than I ever will, but have not had the good fortune and savvy partners like Sean and Bob, or a Manager as good as Louis, and have never got beyond the pub level.  Here I am about to start my umpteenth Canadian tour with full production and crew.  Bring it on. - Alan Doyle

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There are times in this beautiful life when you realise that you have chosen a side; whether you heard it or not, at some point a bell rang...a marker was laid, a wheel turned. No looking back, the decision has been made.

Yes. That side, that is the side I chose. And choose. For that matter, all around that circle.

More on that when I get back to this, because it is pertinent to what I am going to say about the Kingston show - that choice of sides not only impacts what I say, it's at the heart of what I see at any of their shows. But right now I am running short of time for catching my train out of here and, more to the point, I want to take some more time to think about what I am going to say before saying it, that brandly new habit to which I am endeavouring to become accustomed.

I do have just enough time to put up the YouTubes from the Kingston videos and a few of the Megauploads - I got one of the two vertically-shot videos (Sean's solo and Alan's Singalongs) up there for downloading so it can be seen right-side-up by those to whom that's important; I'll get the Singalongs up as soon as I can, and then the rest of them too and edit in the links. Not many videos this night  because I was behind several tall fellows and there would have been a lot of backs of heads in the videos; as it is, there are still some, but that's how it goes sometimes. I felt very small last night, especially so when I could not get a decent view of Alan's WIAK lead solo. I think my seat tonight in Barrie is in a similar location...I wonder if stepladders are allowed in the venue.

First up, Sean's solo, appropriate as can be for Kingston: The Hip's Bobcaygeon.

Download version of Sean's Bobcaygeon, 260 MB (right side up)

A bouncy but adorable set of Singalongs.

Download version oF Kingston Singalongs, 150 MB (right side up))

Second-set-opening Tunes, a limited view but I only got this much because buddy and buddy in front of me were late getting back from the break with their beverages.

Download version of Kingston Tunes (175 MB)

Kingston Impromptu Song.

Download version of Kingston Impromptu Song (155 MB)

Heaven on Earth: Straight To Hell.

Download version of Kingston Straight To Hell (220 MB)

And an utterly gorgeous Excursion.

Download version of Excursion (130 MB)

Enough for now, have to go catch a train and do some thinking before speaking, When I figure out what I want to say about Kingston and about choosing/having chosen sides, I'll edit it in at the end here (along with the set list - have a few comments to make about that too). And if I feel up to taking on the new photoediting program again (don't even ask how long it took me to get those two photos edited), I might add another photo or two. All of this is assuming that I don't let the train rock me back to sleep all the way to Toronto.

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Slept all the way on the train and followed that with an encore of more of the same on the bus. Rather startling coming into Barrie - my cell phone rang and woke me up just as we were approaching the city limits; I came to groggily and wondered why the frig it was so bright...then saw the snow. Yes, this is Northern Ontario and this is November.

So no actual work got done on the way here - not unless you count my being obedient to those Rest & Recuperation orders, especially needed right now since I seem to have a pissy cold along with me for this ride - leaving me to start from scratch now. No, not truly from scratch..I dreamed about this on the train. Dreams can be the best starting place of all.

Long ago and far away - well, not really quite so long ago but considerably far away - in the course of a discussion about related matters, Alan told me that he knew in advance of reading any GBS review I wrote that it would say I loved the show. Which pissed me off mightily - because, it was, of course, true. And so too was the love...so is the love still. But the love is a only part of what's true, perhaps the best part, but still not the whole truth. Whole Truth is almost always complicated and messy and contradictory. Whole Truth is almost always difficult to write about succinctly, or even coherently - this is why fiction is so often more believable than reality.

What I wanted to say to Alan in heat of the not-so-long-ago-but-very far-away moment was Yes that's true, but it's not that simple. But I was angry and hurt - and angry because I was hurt - and perilously close to boo-hoo-hooing in circumstances that were not a bit appropriate for tearful display; I was also not a bit sure how to go about explaining just why it was not that simple, should such an explanation be demanded of me. Being unable to explain your assertion, no matter how sure you might be that the assertion is indeed True, does not lend very much credence to either assertion or assertor. So I held my tongue in regard to that point, near bit it in two, as I recall.

Because I did want to be able to explain what in knew in my heart was true - because I wanted to understand what I knew in my heart was true - I thought long and hard about that conversation for months afterwards; I thought not only about how I write about the shows and why, but also about how I see the shows and why. I thought about what was True. As expected, what was True - what is True - is complicated and messy and contradictory. And difficult to write. There truly are some things in this beautiful life that we can count on.

The best I can describe this particular Messy Truth is that it is like seeing simultaneously on different levels, all of those levels varying in importance and significance and impact. It's not a bit equal. First and foremost, I see Alan; I see him as a dear man and a wonderful performer, and I want him get all possibe happiness and satsifaction and fulfillment out of each and every time on stage. That's the foundation of what I walk into any and all venues hoping for, what matters the most during the show, and what I walk out thinking about, one way or another, after the final encore. Level One, then....Bedrock True.

But even at its most basic - even before all of the hopes that the rest of them wind up feeling equally glad about how the show went and that the audience will love it and go buy lots of merch and bring all their friends next time - it's still not that simple. Not unlike how I still see Alan as a dear man even when he's acting like an arsehole, I still see him as a wonderful performer even when he's having a rough nigtht. It's not that I don't see the struggle; I do - after having seen them all so much, I'd have to be completely stunned not to notice those kind of differences on any given night ; there is always a part of my mind that notices differences from show to show to show to show, the differences that make one show soar above their usual gold standard of performance and the differences that indicate some struggle - internal, external or (c) both - is taking place on a given night.

Even while noticing those differences on one level, every now and again to the point of worrying about what might be causing the struggling ones, especially the struggling ones that repeat in patterns, on another level they just do not matter, not when it comes to an overall assessment of the player and the pleasure that comes from his performance. Past a certain point - I don't know for sure what our where that point is, only that it is somewhere behind me - when you have witnessed greatness again and again and again, when you know in your heart the depth of desire and breadth of ability a person possesses, and when you have repeatedly seen the spectacular result of the collision of desire and ability, it gets to the point where you see them across a spectrum of accomplishment as much or more than you see them in the individual moment. You walk in the door knowing You are wonderful - you will always be wonderful, beyond any possibility of doubt; nothing that happens on any single night can change that larger truth. You are wonderful is as true coming out as it was going in.

Reading back over what I just wrote, it looks as if I am about to say the Kingston show sucked mightily, not in the good way of sucking mightily. Not so, not at all  - though I will confess and answer a questioner with a "Yes" to his question, "Were you hoping if you waited to write about Kingston, Alan will himself write and give you a lead to follow?" - I checked his journal first thing when I got in the room. I just checked it again a few moments ago and read what he has written, and now I am pondering the efficacy of the Delete key.  And choosing to forge ahead instead. You are wonderful is not a truth that suffers timidity. 

I am going to edit in a quote from what he wrote though. It too is pertinent. To be honest, it makes me want to say simply that "Kingston was wonderful because you are wonderful" and leave it at that. It  is true, after all -  Bedrock True. Alan feels privileged and glad and grateful to be out here on tour and on all of these stages, and he truly is wonderful.  Good enough for me; all that matters to me. It is why I love every show. One simple, sweet, uncomplicated Truth.

So I loved Kingston, because I love how much pleasure he takes from being exactly where he is. Overall, semi-objectively (as if I could even begin to approach "semi" status while taking such pleasure in his pleasure), it was a pretty good show, with a bit of a puzzle for a crowd. I thought the band was on fire during the first set, while much of the crowd was somewhat restrained, particularly for what I've come to expect from a Kingston crowd. During the second set, the roles were reversed - the crowd was rowdy and enthusiastic (well lubricated by then too) and it became the band's turn to take a step back, a small step but the distance was there.

I can't be sure about causes, but there's never a shortage of theories. On the one hand, the first set felt much "newer" in terms of the music, with the second set containing most of the Old Faithful GBS tunes that so many people come in expecting (and credit to them for not adding Donkey Riding to that tally).  I didn't particularly care for the second-set list, but that's only a personal opinion. Given the crowd response during the second set, I am sure not going to argue with the decision. As Alan pointed out several times, Sean too, it has been awhile since they played Kingston (I had thought they were there during the tour for The Hard and The Easy in 2006, but on further reflection, I think it might be the 2004 Something Beautiful tour when they were last there) and there is a very strong argument for not sounding so different from the last time you played a town that you scare people away. 

Then again, you could counter-argue that what gets played in the second half of the show is what people leave singing...how people walk away thinking about you.  I'm very curious about how the set lists for the rest of these Canadian shows are going to play out - what decisions will they make and how will the crowds respond. I'm thinking about that quote of Sean's in regard to them asking their audiences to trust that they will like the new music too and wondering how much reciprocal trust they can/should/will have for those audiences.

While I can't fault the shrewdness of the set list in relation to what this crowd seemed most likely to respond to, I could say that it did seem as if the band members themselves got more pleasure out of the newer-music-dominant first set. But that could also be a function of fatigue setting in by time for the second set, especially after the break. I've been wondering how they deal with that break in terms of adrenaline comedown and momentum upending; it's got to be a challenge to keep yourself up in such a format, much more so when you go into a show after having flown out at the crack of dawn, recorded radio interviews, scrambled to the town of your show doing phone interviews along the way, played PR games once you got there...and then it's showtime, folks.

Alan is right: It is a privlege. It is the privilege he has spent most of his life desiring with all of his heart. But it can also be exhausting, and since I can feel myself beginning to slip into Fussing & Worrying Mode, I think I'll just leave it at that. Though there's probably no harm in reiterating that sweet and simple truth about being wonderful, the one about loving too. And knowing what side I am always going to be on.

"Bring it on" works well too.

Set list for Kingston:

Set One

Love Me Tonight

Process Man

Paddy Murphy

When I'm Up

Jack Hinks

England

Charlie Horse

Hard Case

River Driver

Here & Now

Sean's Solo: Bobcaygeon

Company Of Fools

Singalongs/Run, Runaway

Set Two

Tunes

Captain Kidd

When I Am King

Rover

General Taylor

Scolding Wife

Helmethead

Dream To Live

Consequence Free

Mari Mac

Ordinary Day

Encores

Walk On The Moon

Kingston Song/Old Black Rum

Straight To Hell

Excursion

Fortune

No new pictures, not yet. Given how icy it is outside and my own penchant for landing on my head, I am considering the advisability of walking the kilometer or so to the venue while it is still light outside.

"So You Start To Make Your Play" - A Private Show Before A Public Tour, A Gorgeous Front (& Back) Man, And A Band With Balls

(Alright, all done now, finally.  I'll stop farting around and editing it, maybe....Well, I guess I fibbed. Really truly done now because I need to go get some supper before the show. So - done for real this time.)

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Once we got into the theatres we loved them, we loved the vibe in there. The show evolved and became more about the music and less about the lights, and more about what we say and less about how much we jump," he said. "Sometimes you can't get away from your past but you don't have to use all of it. We tend to say to the audience, 'Here's what you want but here's what we like right now, and you're going to like it too, trust us. -  Sean McCann, Canadian Press interview (full text below)

I hate 5 am flights. I always wind up scrambling to get everything done and packed because I always make the mistake of thinking 5 am is Early Tomorrow when it's really just Late Today. I've got videos (YouTubes and Megauploads) from Saturday night's kinda sorta private GBS show at Club One in St. John's and a few thoughts to add about what that show was like, but no frigging time to put any of it here yet. But there is one thing that is too important to me not to make time for. Utter, absolute Beauty is forever timeless:

Alan always looks wonderful to me, has always and always will, but on this night, he was absolutely breathtaking, irresistibly and touchably gorgeous, so much so that I spent most of the evening in a state of delight, pure and impure combined. It's been a long time since I've seen him in that lovely shirt and he looks wonderful in it; the only way that shirt could look any better than it does on Alan would be if it were off Alan.

I'll edit in more when I've got a bit of time and a reliable connection, probably from Pearson. Time to scramble. Did I say how much I hate 5 am flights?

ETA: Now at Pearson, with just enough time for a few YouTubes from Saturday's Club One show. Be sure to notice the gorgeous man in the lovely shirt.

Here & Now

Dream To Live

Straight To Hell

Gallows Pole

Good Girls Don't

General Taylor

When I Am King

England

Ferryland Sealer

The downloadable versions (with a whole lot better quality than how they wind up on YouTube) aren't quite done yet; if I have a decent connection in Kingston, I'll get them added in here when I get there.

Just a couple of quick comments about the Club One show before I head downstairs to catch my connecting puddle-jumper flight to Kingston. Even after having been at this show, I'm still not quite sure what was on the go. It was mostly a straight-up private/corporate-type show, but for some reason the sponsoring company, Lamb's Rum/Corby Distilleries, decided to include a certain percentage of contest winners too. It made for a bit of different sort of mix, with many of the Guests doing a lot of socialising and chattering (and drinking) during the show and quite a few of the Winners congregating up by the stage for the singing and dancing (and drinking) part of the show.

Kudos to the cute little dancing lady who got a smooch with the most charming one of all - the "first kiss of the evening," he called it, one that "felt a bit dirty" - who knew that was all you had to do to make it happen? Kudos to Lamb's for the cool plastic cups with the flashing lights too - a few of those came home with us, and in one of the videos you can see Alan snagging one of his own. After GBS left the stage, The Novaks came out to play a (blistering) set, and if I am not mistaken, they opened the doors to the public at that point, which made for an even more intriguing crowd mix.

If I were being honest here, I'd have to confess that I didn't spend much of this show paying any attention at all to hardly anything other than the Brightest and the Best, standing there right smack dab in front of me, sounding great and looking even greater. It was not easy missing that last run of shows and I was very glad to be exactly where I was at Club One. I did manage to notice that the lights seemed really good this time, a full spectrum of colours and changes. Club One's sound is always abysmal, but I did manage to notice a bit of some new layers that Kris has added to Dream To Live; I'm looking forward to hearing more when we get to the venues where I can hear more. I'm looking forward to hearing more. Seeing more, too.

Most of all, it was just good to be able to hear the music again, to see them getting ready to take that music back out where it belongs to be heard by as many people as possible. And to take lingering and endless pleasure in that spectacular view - most beautiful belly in the house, with all the rest to go with it - dressed up in his lovely shirt. Not a bit of complaining from me about the pants, either.

Time to go, again.

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One last ETA: Now that I'mn checked in and well-connected, I've had a chance to finish up the last of the Megauploads for those who prefer to download the video files, with full quality. YouTube is handy for easy viewing, but you do pay a price in quality.

Video Download Links

Good Girls Don't, Great Big Sea @ Club One, St. John's, November 2008 (175 MB)

Straight To Hell, Great Big Sea @ Club One, St. John's, November 2008 (220 MB)

Dream To Live, Great Big Sea @ Club One, St. John's, November 2008 (270 MB)

Gallows Pole, Great Big Sea @ Club One, St. John's, November 2008 (155 MB)

England, Great Big Sea @ Club One, St. John's, November 2008 (205 MB)

Here & Now, Great Big Sea @ Club One, St. John's, November 2008 (180 MB)

General Taylor, Great Big Sea @ Club One, St. John's, November 2008 (200 MB)

When I Am King, Great Big Sea @ Club One, St. John's, November 2008 (155 MB)

Ferryland Sealer, Great Big Sea @ Club One, St. John's, November 2008 (160 MB)

That's all the videos from the Semi-Private Show at Club One. There are a few wobbles in one or two of them, but considering the wobble that was in the videographer at the time (this was, after all, a Lamb's Rum gig, and I did my best at offering up corporate support, along with tossing any and all impulse control over the side, and good riddance to it), I think they turned out surprisingly well, even  more so when you add in the significant Bedazzled By The Bonfire Burning Through The Night factor.  

Photos from this show (and the next few) are going to have to wait a bit. I' m having a very hard time figuring out how to use the new Vista-chummy photediting program and since the effort is pissing me off mightily, it's going to have to wait till I have some leisure learning-curve time. I am going back to St. John''s during the short break between Oshawa and Thunder Bay, real reasons being to check back in with the doctor and to go to the Folk Awards show, but I'm also going to try to use some of that tine there for a bit of quick photoediting on the old program that's still on a non'-Vista (I am calling it Fist Ya these days) laptop there. Or maybe I'll have a sudden breakthrough and quickly become proficient with the new program. Not impossible, though rather unlikely.

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As for GBS's being The Band With Balls, this utterly refreshing  Canadian Press article found on the online Telegram site :

Sun Nov. 16 2008 1:33:13 PM

Great Big Sea hasn't given up on big dreams

Toronto

MICHAEL OLIVEIRA

The Canadian Press

Great Big Sea no longer wants to be the party band known mostly for jumping up and down onstage with boundless energy.

Nor is the folk-rock band happy to just play the biggest hits from its 15-year career and back catalogue of 12 CDs.

Even though band members are a household name in Canada and continue to build their fan base elsewhere, Great Big Sea still wants to be huge.

"We're not interested in just reaping what we've sown, we want to keep growing," said band member Sean McCann during a telephone interview from his hometown of St. John's, as the group enjoyed a brief break between touring the United States and getting back on the road in Canada.

"We want to be huge, big stars, as big as we can be. We're not satisfied yet."

The band built loyal audiences across the country with a number of memorable singles over the years, starting with their cover of the Slade song, "Run Runaway," in 1995, and then songs like "Mari-Mac," "Goin' Up," "When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)," "Ordinary Day," and "Consequence Free."

They still play most of those songs live, but after releasing a folk album in 2005 they decided to move away from bars, rowdy clubs and arenas and have elected to play in more sit-down theatres, McCann said.

"Once we got into the theatres we loved them, we loved the vibe in there. The show evolved and became more about the music and less about the lights and more about what we say and less about how much we jump," he said.

"Sometimes you can't get away from your past, but you don't have to use all of it. We tend to say to the audience, 'Here's what you want, but here's what we like right now and you're going to like it too, trust us.' Our fans want to sing along, so we have to give them something they know the words to - and we do - then we give them something they don't know, and they'll learn it for the next show."

While that evolution has turned off some of their longtime supporters who've come to expect a certain vibe at a Great Big Sea concert, the excitement and challenge of playing to new, growing audiences in the U.S. helped the band develop their act.

"You kind of got used to your front row knowing exactly what's going to happen and what they're supposed to do - because we're kind of an audience participation band - but we went out there (in the U.S.) many nights and most people had never seen us before," he said.

Still, the band has acquired at least one high-profile non-Canadian fan.

Movie star Russell Crowe has been known to join Great Big Sea onstage whenever he's in the same town the band is touring in, and has co-writing credits on their latest album, "Fortune's Favour."

"He's a great guy to be around, very entertaining and he's a great songwriter and lyricist," McCann said.

Great Big Sea is playing in Kingston, Ont., tonight; Barrie, Ont., Tuesday; Hamilton Wednesday; Kitchener, Ont., Thursday; Oshawa, Ont. Saturday; Thunder Bay, Ont., Nov. 26; Winnipeg Nov. 27; Saskatoon Nov. 28; Regina Nov. 29; Edmonton Nov. 30; Calgary Dec. 1; and Vancouver Dec. 3 and Dec. 4.

Note: There are several longer versions of this syndicated article to be found online, but I liked this edit the best of the lot, though I wish it had included Sean's closing comment about Russell:  "It's usually a great surprise when he shows up at shows and the fans love it, he doesn't come in making small noises, he comes big, he's awesome."

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This upcoming tour leg is a very important one, quite the play for the making - a matter of taking GBS Today to some of the folks who are the most invested in, as well as the most fond of, GBS Yesterday. Persuasive performances, compelling music, hearts and souls, hard work and acts of artistic seduction. I believe the fellows up there on the stage are going to win the day, victory in the Present and faith in the Future. I believe in them, believe most of all in the dear fellow who is looking so wonderful in that lovely shirt. Or out of it, either way...I'm easily pleased.

Evolution, growth, being more about what they have to say. Still sowing brand new seeds instead of settling for an old harvest. All these things are as worthy of cheering for and applauding as is the music that is created from those very attitudes; this is my kind of "GBS Happy Fix," for exactly as long as it makes them happy.  

Here and Nnw, Great Big Sea Today is about as far removed from being (or becoming) a Tim Horton's Band as it is possible to be. I am so proud of them, of all of them. Courage for sure, in abundant measure, right there where it belongs, alongside the Patience and the Grit.

Dream to live, live to dream. Equally as true for challenging tour legs and new music as it is for beautiful bellies and lovely shirts.

"If I Left You Alone With My Heart" - Wistful Wonder & Men Of A Thousand Songs

ETA: Sorry, forgot to put in the titles of the wonderful songs performed by my two favourite songwriters in the YouTubes. All fixed now.

Lucky Me

1962

Had a few pints with audio guy Steve for his 40th and watched drunken college kids in all kinds of foolish and suggestive costume. They must have {been} hammered to put on some of those get-ups…though, despite hours of observation, I saw not one of them trip up in the dark grey chain. -  Alan Doyle,  journal entry for November 1st

The first time I heard an Alan Doyle song - performed by the songwriter himself while I sat in my living room in front of the television - that song stopped me dead in my tracks...it moved me, touched me, caused a sweet ache in my heart while putting a thoughtful smile on my face. It was True - pain and hope, acceptance and resolution, wistfulness and wonder. The first time I heard a Ron Hynes song - performed by Darrell Power and several thousand displaced Newfoundlanders in Fort MacMurray - the effect was identical...the same ache, the same smile, the same Truth. The same wistfulness and wonder, both of which endure undiminished and undeterred.

The first time I tried to explain why it is I see these two songwriters as being cut from the same cloth - perhaps better to call them fragments off the same Rock - who write (and think and see and feel) from differing temporal points along the same experiential spectrum, I was laughed at, openly. The second and the third time too. And so on. Alan is, I have been repeatedly told, all about bouncy optimism and ceaseless good cheer, in his writing and, by inferential extension, in his being. Ron is, again repeatedly stated, a troubadour of irrecoverable loss and poignant regret, about as far removed from who Alan is and how he writes as it's possible to be.

None of which explains the similarity of response, the congruity of Truth, the reliable echo of both ache and smile. Or the clear reflection of the one in the writing of the other; from that first time hearing the fourth verse of Sonny's Dream ("Sonny's dreams can't be real, they're just stories he's read/They're just stars in his eyes, they're just dreams in his head/And he's hungry inside for the wide world outside/And I know I can't hold him though I've tried and I've tried and I've tried"), there was not a bit doubt in my mind that the lines described Alan with a jagged clarity, even though that was a long time before I knew why that seemed so certain. Because Alan has a good share of my heart, he is the one I saw from the first in those lines; it took considerably longer for it to occur to me that the songwriter was likely also describing himself in those same lines. Ron has another as-yet-unrecorded song called The Cape which describes Alan even more perfectly...even though it is directly self-descriptive. There is damn good reason for that similarity of response.

I can't fault some for their laughter, though. I spent the first few years around Great Big Sea bemused and bewildered and generally stunned about the disparities between perception and reality, potential and actuality, persona and person. And it's not as if Alan corners the market on being pigeonholed and underestimated; at the end of the day, being seen as no more than the Troubadour of Regret is equally as narrow and limiting and constraining as is being locked into the role of The Great Big Sea Guy. At the end of the day, there's not a whole lot of difference between "Make me feel happy, Alan" and "Sing us a sad song, Ron".

Partial truth versus complex Truth, the former almost always easier, as well as safer, than the latter. But how does anyone express such keen regret if he has never gazed with wonder from the dizzying heights of optimism? And how does anyone cling so valiantly to stubborn hope if he has never wistfully longed for his heart's desire? Similarity of response borne out of commonality of passion, effect obediently following at a discreet (perhaps even a discrete) distance behind cause.

Since the last part of what I want to write seems to be the part I am having the most trouble with, this is the perfect time to let the men and their songs speak for themselves. Most of these YouTube videos are recent uploads, with just a few repeats that were too pertinent to leave out. I really wish I had a video of The Cape. Maybe one of these days,

Consequence Free

Dry

When I Am King

House

Straight To Hell

Boston & St. John's

How Did We Get From Saying I Love You

Love Me Tonight

Hold On For Your Life (1-2-3-4/Here We Go Again)

Company Of Fools

Young Triffie

No, Kathleen

Walk On The Moon

Sonny's Dream

Where I Belong (partial)

Sonny's Dream again

Again, because of that good share of heart in his possession, some of these similarities - my belief in some of these similarities...I know there are those who will never/can never see Alan the way I do, perhaps the same with Ron - tend to worry me. As excellent a place as it is to be artistically, personally it could be a bit more troublesome. I often think about each of them at their respective points along that experiential spectrum and about what measure and balance of wistfulness and wonder, regret and hope, might come with the passage of time. I found myself thinking long and hard along such lines after reading Alan's most recent journal entry, longer and harder with each subsequent reading.

Alan told a good tale; it was especially nice to see others recognising that storytelling skill in their comments. I didn't find it to be the HaHaHa Funny Story some apparently to see it as - to me, it came across more ironic and wry, and, yes, wistful, as well as True in all the ways that matter - but that's just one more instance of differing perceptions of the man telling the tale. I'm finding I can't get his image of the dark grey chain - put there to protect and control and direct and constrain, a safe-passage-if-you-stay-within-the-limits marker that sent him on a headlong plunge even though all the hammered fools decked out in full costume had no trouble remainig within its bounds - out of my mind.

Alan told his tale very well indeed.  As he always has, as he always will.

If anyone wants information about where and when the videos were made, they can all be found on my YouTube page. I'm hoping to get one more entry up here (with some photos, I hope...I am having a rough time getting my photoediting program of choice to climb into bed with Vista) before I leave.

One more edit, in response to a few requests for lyrics to the song the title lyric comes from. It's Ron's song, though yet again the lyrics go beyond the self-descriptive and straight to that good share of heart I no longer call my own.:

If I Left You Alone With My Heart

Ron Hynes

Chorus:
If I Left You Alone With My Heart
Could I Fall Asleep Depending Upon You To Do Your Part
Could I Drift Off Without Worry
Somewhere Out There In The Dark
If I Left You Alone With My Heart

I've Been Up And Down This Highway
I've Seen Twenty Years Roll By
Like You'd See In The Twinklin' Of An Eye
And I Played Every Dive There Is
I Heard Every Story Told
And I Never Questioned One Man's Reason Why

                And I Cover All The Current Hit Parade
                Most Nights I'm Left With Less Than I Get Paid

But Could I Drift Off Without Worry
Somewhere Out There In The Dark
If I Left You Alone With My Heart

Now I May Not Get To Breakfast Until Early Afternoon
And That Evening Stretch Weighs Heavy On My Mind
But When I Hit That Naked Spotlight
I Got Everything In Tune
But The One Thing That I Choose To Leave Behind

            And I Send One Song Out To You Across The Miles
            It's The One That Always Leaves 'Em With A Smile

Could I Drift Off Without Worry
Somewhere Out There In The Dark
If I Left You Alone With My Heart

If I Left You Alone With My Heart
Could I Fall Asleep Depending Upon You To Do Your Part
Could I Drift Off There In The Dark
If I Left You Alone With My Heart

Could I Drift Off Without Worry
Somewhere Out There In The Dark
If I Left You Alone With My Heart

Sometimes it can be difficult to find the lyrics to Ron's songs online, which is a frigging shame, but this one and all the rest from his Cryer's Paradise CD can be found here. There's an official Ron Hynes web site too.

"Just Keep The Faith" - To Have Not And Have & A Smiling Land Fundraiser

ETA: Well, that was a great little unexpected delight for a birthday evening...a nifty interview with Alan on Toni-Marie's Backstage Pass NTV News segment, all about the role the Smiling Land Foundation is playing, and plans to keep on playing, in giving back to Newfoundland. I have said it many times in the past and I am sure Alan will give me every reason why to say it many times in the future: He makes it so very easy to be proud of him. And he looked absolutely gorgeous while doing so...I'll probably wind up saying that even more. Time to go blow some candles.

On Monday, Newfoundland officially became a "Have," for the very first time. On Tuesday, my own country elected a black President, for the very first time. Today is Wednesday, and it's my birthday; I think the timing is absolutely perfect for boldly impassioned wish-making while blowing out the candles. This is a dreams-really-do-(finally)-come-true kind of week.

From the November 4th online Telegram:

Have not no more
'This is a very proud day', premier says

ROB ANTLE
The Telegram

Newfoundland and Labrador officially became a “have” province Monday, a year earlier than expected.
Premier Danny Williams called it “a momentous day for the people of this province.

Effectively, the province came off equalization as of April 1 — more than seven months ago.

The government had expected to barely fall on the other side of the “have not” divide in 2008-09.

But revisions in the complex series of calculations that go into equalization entitlements pushed Newfoundland and Labrador over the line for the first time since Confederation.

Williams said the change in status should be significant for the average citizen.

“It’s a tremendous sense of relief and gratification, that we’ve worked so hard in Newfoundland and Labrador,” the premier said.

“I’m just here as a spokesperson for all the rest of us today. We’ve worked so hard in this province. We are a proud people … Now we can really hold our heads high.”

Newfoundland and Labrador will continue in the “have” column in 2009-10, according to figures issued by the federal Department of Finance.

The feds released their new projections at a meeting of the country’s finance ministers in Toronto on Monday.

“For too long, we’ve been perceived as second-rate citizens, or Canada’s poor cousins,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s newly minted finance minister, Jerome Kennedy, said in an interview from the Toronto airport.

“That day is no longer — at least from an economic and a social perspective — present any more.”

The province has surfed the wave of a commodities boom over the past few years to unprecedented prosperity, racking up surplus after surplus.

Ironically, while Newfoundland will leave equalization for the first time in history, Ontario will receive its first-ever benefits from the program in 2009.

The feds will funnel $347 million in equalization cash to Ontario next year.

Other recipient provinces include New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Manitoba.

Newfoundland and Labrador joins British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan on the “have” side of the divide.

Equalization is aimed at allowing so-called “have-not” provinces to provide reasonably comparable public services as other provinces, at similar levels of taxation.

The program is entirely funded by federal tax dollars.

___________________________________________________

From  CBC News online:

Have-not is no more: N.L. off equalization

Move off equalization comes a year earlier than expected

Newfoundland and Labrador reached a milestone Monday by becoming a have province for the first time in its history as a Canadian province.

Premier Danny Williams released the news during a media conference, saying that figures released Monday by the federal finance department showed for the first time ever the province would not be receiving equalization payments from Ottawa.

"This is a very proud day for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, I can tell you. We received information today from the federal government at the finance ministers' meeting that as a result of changes in the figures that as of today — which is a notification — but effectively this year Newfoundland and Labrador is now a have province. That's a momentous day for the people of this province."

In its April budget, the Newfoundland and Labrador projected that it would come off equalization, a federal program that ensures comparable levels of public service are provided across the country, at some point in 2009. Williams said government learned the move happened a year earlier than expected.

In April, Tom Marshall, then the minister of finance, said Newfoundland and Labrador residents should prepare for a "revolution between the years" because of the shift that should come with being a have province.

Williams said Newfoundland and Labrador is operating on its own resources and its own monies because of oil revenues, corporate income taxes, commodity prices and retail sales.

"Today is a significant day. It's a huge event," Williams said.

"For 60 years we've been part of the great Canadian federation and we have been recipients of equalization payments from the Canadian government. Over the years we have been ridiculed for that. At times times we've been presented as the poor cousins in Canada. Now we can hold our heads high and feel very good about it … I consider it to be a very significant day for all the people of the province and I want to share this moment with them."

Monday's news finally fulfilled former premier Brian Peckford's prophecy made during his victory speech in 1982.

"I am more convinced than I have any time in the past that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians speak [with] one voice when we all say one day the sun will shine and have-not will be no more," Peckford said on April 6, 1982.

Ontario will qualify for $347 million in equalization payments next year.

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And then there is this, a great  (and timely) story about some serious good that's being accomplished by a few remarkable individuals - "Haves" in a deeper and fuller sense of the word - a story that is getting some much-deserved attention in MarketWatch.com:

Group of Newfoundland and Labradorians Bring the Spirit of the 'Smiling Land' to Toronto for a 'Great Big Give' to Benefit Hometown Charity

Last update: 9:03 a.m. EST Nov. 3, 2008

 

TORONTO, ONTARIO, Nov 03, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Newfoundland and Labradorians know how to have a good time. The inevitable question when you celebrate with us becomes "how early do you need to be up tomorrow?"

 

A group of passionate Newfoundland and Labradorians are asking you to plan to sleep in the morning after the 'Great Big Give', an unforgettable concert and reception this December 6th at Toronto's Masonic Temple. All proceeds from the event will benefit Daffodil Place, a cancer treatment centre in St. John's, NL.

 

Presented by Smiling Land, Mary Walsh will host the best kitchen party west of Happy Valley-Goose Bay featuring a performance by St. John's own Great Big Sea.

 

"There's a long-standing Newfoundland tradition of giving back," says Great Big Sea's Alan Doyle. "This is about a doing something for the people and place that made it possible."

 

A Great Big Night

Where: Music Hall at the Masonic Temple (Northwest Corner of Davenport and Yonge)

When: Saturday, December 6th, 2008

VIP Pre-Reception at 7:00 pm. Doors open at 8:00 pm.

Who: Great Big Sea with host Mary Walsh

Co-Chaired by Hon. Brian V. Tobin, P.C. this year's event will also feature a special auction of items you will never find on Bay Street.

 

Smiling Land is the product of nine proud Newfoundland and Labradorians who have come together to do something to benefit the province they love and share the spirit of the Rock with the rest of Canada. Smiling Land will host one large fundraiser annually to benefit a different Newfoundland and Labrador charity every year.

 

"All of us have been very lucky and that success really has its roots in Newfoundland," says Seamus O'Regan. "This event is about giving back."

 

About Smiling Land Foundation:

These nine Newfoundland and Labradorians are accomplished and successful individuals in their fields and have worked both in their home province and abroad. They share a love of home and a desire to give back in keeping with the best of Newfoundland's tradition of strong community.

 

Jennifer Bishop

Jennifer Bishop is a partner in the Business Law Group at the law firm of Miller Thomson LLP (Toronto office). She is a proud Newfoundlander who lives in Toronto with her husband Chris and daughter Sadie.

 

Chris Breen

Chris Breen is the principal of Sixth Man Strategy Inc., a public affairs consulting practice established in Toronto where he lives with his wife Emma and their four children.

 

Jennifer Cropley

Jennifer Cropley is the Executive Assistant to the Hon. Brian Tobin, P.C. at Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP. She was previously the Executive Assistant to the CEO of the Canadian Youth Business Foundation where she continues to volunteer her time at their events and by raising funds for the foundation. In addition to the CYBF, Jennifer volunteers for a number of non-profit organizations including ACE Canada and the Easter Seals Society. In 2008, she received the Silver Star award from ACE recognizing her contribution to the organization.

 

Alan Doyle

Alan Doyle is a singer, songwriter from Petty Harbour, Newfoundland. He has produced music for recording artists like Russell Crowe, and The Irish Descendants. He has been the principal music composer for television shows like, "Hatching Matching and Dispatching" and films such as, "Young Triffie." He is best known, however, as the lead singer in the multi-platinum selling band Great Big Sea. Along with his band mates, Alan has sold well over 1 million records and become a major draw at concert venues and festivals in Canada, the US, and Europe.

 

Allan Hawco

A native of the Goulds, Newfoundland and is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, Allan Hawco is one of the country's most exciting young actors. He has starred in some of the most interesting and acclaimed of recent television dramas including ZOS: Zone of Separation, an eight-part series about the life and death struggle to enforce a United Nations-brokered ceasefire in a middle European country. (Movie Network, 2008). The political thrillers H2O (CBC, 2004) and its sequel Trojan Horse (CBC, 2007) and the World War II drama Above and Beyond (CBC, 2006). He has also just finished shooting a half hour drama pilot for CBC, Republic of Doyle. Hawco wrote, starred and was executive producer of the project. He appears in a supporting lead in Sir Richard Attenborough's Closing the Ring (2008 nomination Best Film, Irish Film and Television Awards) with Christopher Plummer and Shirley MacLaine. In 2005, Hawco co- founded and is Artistic Director of The Company Theatre and starred in its inaugural production of Tom Murphy's Whistle in the Dark which met with rave reviews.

 

Chris Henley

Mr. Henley is the founder and President of Henley Capital Corporation, a limited market dealer specializing in mergers and acquisitions, financing and advisory investment banking services to both public and private companies. He has spent the last 25 years in industry and investment banking financing and advising public and private companies covering the full range of industry sectors and market capitalizations. He is currently the Chair of the Toronto Port Authority and a current or former Board member of Transition Therapeutics Inc.; Ontario Transport Capital Corporation -- the developer of Highway 407, the first all-electronic highway in the world; the Advisory Board, Faculty of Business Administration, Memorial University of Newfoundland; and the board of directors of the Limited Market Dealers Association of Canada. Mr. Henley is also actively involved in a number of annual charitable fundraising initiatives such as The Ultimate Jet Set Experience and is a board member of the Future Focus Foundation and the Smiling Land Foundation. Mr. Henley holds a B.A. from Memorial University, an MBA from Dalhousie University and has completed the Institute of Corporate Directors Directors Education Program at the Rotman School of Management in Toronto. In 2006, Mr. Henley received the internationally recognized professional designation ICD.D.

 

Seamus O'Regan

Seamus O'Regan is the co-host of CTV's Canada AM. He is from St. John's, Newfoundland, and was raised in Goose Bay, Labrador. He serves on the Boards of The Rooms and The Company Theatre group. He is also an Honourary Advisor to Shallaway -- Newfoundland and Labrador Youth in Chorus.

 

Tim Powers

Tim Powers is Vice-President of Summa Communications. Originally from St. John's, Newfoundland, Mr. Powers began his career as an assistant and advisor to the Honourable John C. Crosbie, then Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. Thereafter, he acted as advisor to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. Mr. Powers also served as the Director of Policy and Research to the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. Mr. Powers has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland, a Master of Arts degree (Atlantic Canada Studies) from St. Mary's University, and a Master of Sciences degree (Media and Communications) from the London School of Economics. Mr. Powers has also studied Public Sector Management at Harvard University. Currently, Mr. Powers serves as a lecturer in the Faculty of Communications at the University of Ottawa. Mr. Powers is also a media commentator, appearing frequently on CTV, CTV Newsnet and ROB TV.

 

Paul Sparkes

Paul Sparkes is the Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs, CTVglobemedia.

A graduate of Memorial University, Sparkes is the President and Founding Member of the Smiling Land Foundation. He is also President of the CHUM Charitable Foundation and serves on many Industry and Charitable Boards, including the Banff Television Festival Foundation, the digital television channel Animal Planet, and the One X One Foundation. As part of his involvement with One X One, Sparkes is the leading board member of the First Nations School Nutrition Program, a national outreach initiative designed to provide First Nations children who live in poverty with a school nutrition program. Prior to joining CTVglobemedia in 2001, Sparkes enjoyed a distinguished career in public service. From 1998-2001 he served as Director of Operations to then Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon Jean Chretien and prior to that, he was Special Assistant for Atlantic Canada in the PMO (1996-1998). Also, he served as Executive Assistant to two Premiers of Newfoundland and Labrador; the Honourable Clyde Wells and the Honourable Brian Tobin.

 

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There are times when hope triumphs over doubt, times when almost anything feels as if it might somehow be possible after all. This is one of those times.

"Let Me Testify" - Gorgeous Video Of "Testify" (performed by Alan Doyle, written by Alan Doyle & Russell Crowe) & Alan's "Boston Burglar" Solo Too

Too gorgeous not to rate a separate entry. First, a beautiful video (many thanks to the videographer - great picture and sound quality...and bless you for catching the intro too)) of Alan's Burlington solo of Testify, one of the best of the joint Doyle/Crowe collaborations:

Testify, Alan Doyle (solo), Flynn Theatre, Burlington Vt. 

Now this is what I was hoping for. Several other excellent GBS videos on the site's main page too, including a great video of Alan's Boston solo too, again with that priceless intro:

The Boston Burglar, Alan Doyle (solo), Orpheum Theatre, Boston

Many thanks to my brandly new favourite videographer. Thanks for helping to give an persuasive view of the impressive range of an amazing performer.

"We've Waited All This Time" - For (After) Lebanon: Coming & Going...& Coming Again

Eleven shows in twelve nights, and by now more than halfway home.  No matter what I think of the sense, or lack thereof, of their schedule, all that can possibly matter now is the welcome rest waiting for the weary Travellers at the end of today's journey, the end of this leg of the tour.  A need for rest, a time for rest...before it  all begins again.

Nobody ends a show quite the way Great Big Sea does, perhaps partly because they are among the very best at leaving their audience at that perfect balance point of being utterly delighted and yet still wishing for more. Understandable enough. In this beautiful life, Delight is a rare and precious commodity; longing for more of what thrills your soul, ignites your desire, and touches your heart -whether soul, desire, and heart be found off stage or on - is not a bit difficult to comprehend.

Two examples of the ways in which they end with that Delightt, the first one showing  pure mastery of crowd enchantment:

Old Brown's Daughter, Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, Spring 2006

And the second an unforgettable ending of an even-more-unforgettable day - closing moments of The Show That Went On Anyway immediately after the tour bus accident:

Old Brown's Daughter, Centre For Performing Arts, Vancouver, February 2006

But for as wonderful as their endings invariably are, their beginnings, each and every beginning that follows after the ending that came before it, are even more so. Coming and going and coming once again. The original plan was to pick out one version of the perfect-for-the-moment opening song of the Fortune's Favour Tour to upload to YouTube for this entry, but instead Alan will just have to deal with being loved three times over in rapid succession Tonight.  Somehow, I suspect he would not object one bit.

Love Me Tonight, "Secret Show" at PJ O'Brien's Pub, Toronto, June 2008

Love Me Tonight, Gainey Family Benefit, Metropolis, Montreal, June 2008

And finally, what is always going to be my personal favourite version of this song, the very first time it was played live, segueing immediately into it from their Great Big Christmas Show-opening number, The Seven Joys Of Mary. There's a whole entire backstory behind why I so dearly love this song in this moment, a very timely Christmasy-type story that involves gifts and acceptance and understanding and most of all abiding love, and maybe someday someone other than the story's direct participants will know all about it. But for now, suffice to say that out of all the comings and goings and comings again, out of all the new beginnings that follow after each end that went before, this one is a priceless treasure.

Love Me Tonight (song debut, with 7 Joys intro), Great Big Christmas, Delta Ballroom, St. John's, December 2007

(As always, the video can be viewed right-side-up by downloading it from Megaupload. )

Of course, the very next live performance of Love Me Tonight, the very next new beginning, will be its own moment of pure and absolute delight - soul-thrilling, desire-igniting, and heart-touching in its own right. Most certainly so. But that comes after the welcome rest. Safe travels, safe home, safe travels again.

"Not For The Money Alone" - Irresistibly Drawn To The Light, For Portland (& Burlington)...With One More To Go & Then Home

First up, many thanks to a few who've checked in to tell me that Alan's solo in Burlington was Testify, one of the songs Alan and Russell Crowe co-wrote for the My Hand, My Heart CD of Russell's band The Ordinary Fear Of God, while Alan was also a member of that band, as well as producer of the MHMH CD (released in 2005). Spectacular solo choice for a crowd in which probably next to no one had ever before heard the song performed live, and spectacular solo choice simply because it's such a great song and such a consistent crowd-pleaser.  Each and every time Russell and Alan and the band performed Testify on TOFOG's 2005/6 Australian Tour, they brought down the house, perhaps the most memorable time being in Canberra, Australia Day 2006, in front of tens of thousands of widly screaming Aussies (and a nationwide camera feed, as I recall). Absolutely frigging unforgettable.

Testify is one of the very best - and perhaps the most wickedly clever - of the songs Alan and Russell have written together (so far). I'll keep hoping someone mamaged to get a video of Alan's Testify solo, but until then, the TOFOG video of Testify, along with videos of several other excellent Doyle/Crowe co-writes, can be found here.

I always love it whenever Alan decides to share his "Russell Music" with any predominantly GBS crowd. Their co-written songs are so damn good, and they deserve as wide an audience as possible. Makes me feel pretty dandy about putting Alan's ECMA SC Raewyn video up on YouTube the other day- talk about fortuitous timing. And, if I might be allowed a moment of pure, unadulterated selfishness...as much as I'd have loved to see Alan do Testify all on his own (but then, I'm always going to love to see Alan doing anything - on his own, with GBS, or with anyone else), I'm kind of glad he did a tune I've heard (and loved) many times before, rather than something wondrously new that I might not ever get to hear again or that I might have to wait God only knows how long to hear again. That was a very long delay between the first and the second performances of Walk On The Moon. Well worth the wait it in the end, as is always true of Alan, but still very long.

None of which means, of course, that I wouldn't be utterly delighted should a video of his Burlington solo surface somewhere. More Alan is always Good Alan, and it truly is a hell of a great song.

This entry is way late tonight, mostly because YouTube is on occasion a cruel bitch, I tried and tried to get these uploads to work, then to process, then to play. Glitches galore slowed the procedure to a snails' pace, but sometimes slow and steady - and stubborn - really does (eventually) win the race.

The choice of tonight's videos was inspired by a sweet (and true) comment Sherida's Mom made about how Alan could be immediately recognised as a Newfoundlander ("one of our crowd") wherever he went, without even having to speak a word; this comment of course made me think of the sweet (and true) Petty Harbour Boy I see every single time Alan Doyle comes into my field of vision, up close and personal or in a YouTube video.

At his most Petty Harbour Boyish, singing a song of home, as it once was and as it now is.

Not For The Money Alone, Alan Doyle (solo), Philadelphia Folk Festival Songwriters' Circle, Schwenksville Pa, August 2008

Vertical video, so again sideway on YouTube, but if I had not videoed that way, there would not be such a splendid view of those gorgeous shorts-clad legs. For those who can download the right-side up video from Megaupload, it can be found here: Download version of Not For The Money Alone, 185 MB

Two videos from Home Shows, filled (literally, in some frames) with the delight that is Alan Doyle filled with delight.

Singalong With Big Alan, Great Big Sea @ the Arts & Culture Centre, St. John's, March 2006 

Great Big Singalongs (or "Sinalongs"), Great Big Christmas Show, Delta Ballroom, December 2006

They're very nearly at the end of this race, by all accounts one they have run very well. Some can't wait to get home. Some can't wait for the next time the lights go up as the crowd roars. I have always really liked Kingston.

****************************************************************************************************************************

Editing in the Doyle/Crowe Testify lyrics, since Testify is only on the "extended version" of the MHMH CD (along with a beautiful version of Nick Cave's "Breathless").  Many thanks to Murph.

I feel the irons on my wrist and lament its come to this
When they hang me from the gallows tree, “Such as life,” they’ll hear me hiss,
I’m not the reddest handed bandit there but I’m the one who’ll take the fall
This smoking gun’s been smothered by the long arm of the law.
The Chaplin says, “The end is started and [your] Judgement has begun”
Prayers can lead to God’s forgiveness for all the Foolish things you’ve done
You’ve got tonight to find some peace of mind before you leave this world."
I hope and pray that I may never get what I deserve

CHORUS

Take me down to the river Preacher, take me by the hand
Take me down to the river, Mend the soul of a broken man,
Drown me in forgiveness wash these bloody hands of mine
Take me down to one last river
Let me testify
 

ok next verse

 

Yes I believe in God's benevolence,

I have seen with my own eyes,

in the river just outside the gate,

Sunday sinners get baptized.

I will pray for my redemption,

but I'm quite sure that he won't hear,

I've never had that watered cross,

trickle in my ear.

 

The chaplain's face it grew sadder,

he said "you've not been christened son?"

No, I said, and I hung my head,

is there nothing to be done?

If I could get down to that river,

can't you see how cleansed I'd be?

The latest lamb, in God's hands.

My soul would be set free.

 

chorus.

 

organ solo.

 

They take me to the river bank,

two guards and the chaplain.

The moonlight shines on the holy tides,

my prayers have been answered.

I take my sodden walk to jesus,

all piety and grace.

The guards release my shackles,

they cannot read my face.

 

The deepest breath that I can take,

as I plunge under the water.

The chaplain has the kindest ways,

he could have been a whole lot smarter.

Two kicks and I'm traveling,

beneath the muddy waters gleam.

By the time I take a second breath,

i'm a hundred yards downstream.

 

chorus

 

chorus

 

testify

 

testify.

 

All of the Russell Crowe & The Ordinary Fear Of God songs (including both Testify and Raewyn) can be found on iTunes.