Gord makes a Grand statement
By Lindsey Ward
October 8, 2010 12:21am
Gord Downie
Thu., Oct. 7
Garrick Centre
Sun rating: Three stars
Call him genius. Call him mad. But if there’s one thing you can’t call Gord Downie – or a Gord Downie concert – it’s dull.
And on Thursday night at the Garrick Centre, the passionate poet, patriot and The Tragically Hip frontman proved, as he always does, that he can liven up any show – even one that’s promoting a somewhat lackluster album (his third solo disc, The Grand Bounce) and involves a dude marching around playing a tuba (but more on that shortly).
Filled with tales of love, loss and Canadiana, the two-hour set included many of the tracks off Downie’s latest effort, along with The Country of Miracles – the rocker’s trusty solo backup band, which includes the talents of New Brunswick singer-songwriter Julie Doiron.
Donning a red Return of the Jedi T-shirt and a solid foundation for a beard, Downie opened with Vancouver Divorce off his 2001 debut solo disc Coke Machine Glow. For effect, he hauled out the first of many transparent images (the moon and stars) for his overhead projector, positioned front and centre so he could change the stage’s backdrop for nearly every song – a move we’re pretty sure had more to do with his imagination than it did budget cuts.
The crowd of twenty and thirtysomethings got a kick out of his overhead creations – many of which included water and food colouring and none of which your Grade 3 teacher would attempt to use as instructional tools.
An even more effective trick up Gord’s sleeve was Doiron, who joined him on vocals and guitar for a number of tracks – including the cheery highlight Moon Over Glenora – while conquering all areas of the stage, drum kit included. At times it felt like The Gord and Julie Show – not that we’re complaining given how bizarrely well the miniskirt-clad Doiron’s frenetic, retro-tinged stage presence both matched and clashed with Downie’s own frantic demeanor.
Otherwise, the set was a blend of Downie’s standard patriotism – with tracks like Canada Geese, Christmastime in Toronto and The Hard Canadian getting the most cheers – and his romantic side, where he advised the crowd to get “rooted in somebody’s heart”, spoke of unrequited love and performed breakup track Gone.
After a lengthy intermission and a performance of The Grand Bounce’s oft-played first single off The East Wind, Downie broke out the theatrics. This includes (but is not limited to) him making an airplane explode on the projector, asking everyone to name their “body of water” (ours is the Red River, BTW), concocting a little ditty about why Winnipeg doesn’t need the NHL (sample lyrics: “The Jets were so ahead of their time … If fighting was part of the game, then why do they stop the clock?”), and leading his eager Miracles – even the aforementioned tuba man, Dave Clark – through the audience mid-track before finally laying it all to rest with Coke Machine Glow’s Insomniacs of the World, Good Night.
And really, after all that, we doubt we were the only ones ready for a nap.
Hockey references aside, Hips fans would have been far happier saving their bucks for the iconic CanRock band’s next four-night Concert Hall stint than they would have been for ponying up for a single one of Downie’s solo shows, which are far more fitting for the folk fest crowd.
Then again, even if you swap his Hip bandmates Rob Baker, Gord Sinclair, Johhny Fay and Paul Langlois for oddball instruments and a quirky female sidekick, you’re still going to get the same ol’, feverish, intense, go-hard-or-go-home Gord. And that’s what we got.
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