02-05-2015, 04:57 PM
Last night was my 19th Hip show, and while it wasn't the best show I've seen, it was quite good and worth the money. The mix was fantastic, Gord's vocals were incredibly clear the whole evening and while he didn't rant and have huge monologues as in years past, I could easily pick out everything he was saying, which was a pleasant surprise. Rob's guitar was very clear as well, but that may have also been due to my position, as I was second row, right in front of him. I'm pretty sure I was picking up his stage volume as he was much louder than normal (which I didn't mind at all), whereas Paul's guitar seemed somewhat drowned out (my only complaint regarding the sound, and a minor one at that).
The boys came out strong with Grace, Too, which was probably the best I've ever heard it. It was really energetic and just came off really, really well. The rest of the first set sort of devolved a bit for me though. At Transformation was great, and I enjoyed MMP and AABC, but NOIS is definitely one song I'd wish they would drop from their set list (which I know will never happen). It would have been nice to have one rare track in the opening set to spice it up a bit, but alas...
The Fully Completely set was great; Courage had lots of energy, but it was the rare tracks that really stood out for me. Looking, Pigeon, and especially We'll Go Too were all fantastic, as was The Wherewithal. I was so happy to hear WGT, it was probably my favourite moment (along with Vapour Trails in the closing set) of the night. That being said, I noticed the band was a bit "off" - Gord forgot the opening lyrics to Lionized, and some of Rob's lead playing was a bit sloppy. I wonder if that week plus off made them a bit rusty.
Overall, I really enjoyed the FC set, and the band seemed to enjoy playing it. While some people have complained that knowing what was coming next was a bit of a downer, I actually enjoyed it, as I was able to look forward to the rarer songs with great anticipation. I can get caught up in worry, wondering if they will play certain songs, so it was nice to know that I was going to hear some rarely played gems. It also helped to know that I was going to hear Vapour Trails in the last set...I got a peak of the setlist when the camera switched to Johnny on the drums, and the setlist was right there! I would rather it be a surprise, but at the same time it was nice to know it was coming!
The closing set was good. In View had this cool breakdown bit that kept it fresh, while Vapour Trails was awesome. Bobcayceon was fine, but I've heard it enough. Nautical was great and Little Bones had lots of energy from the band...but...
The biggest complaint about the night, which seemed to affect the band, was the total lack of energy from the crowd. Had the audience actually been engaged with the music and the band, it would have been an amazing night. It turns out Victoria makes Ottawa look like Montreal in regards to audience intensity! Victoria seemed half asleep for the majority of the night. They were into Grace, Too, and NOIS, plus a couple of tunes from FC, notably Wheat Kings, but during Little Bones Gord made the funniest comment I've ever heard him say. Most of the front row (most of the audience in general, too) were just kind of standing there, perhaps bobbing their heads a bit, but not much else. Gord was looking at either a section near the front, or a particular person (couldn't tell) and he yells out "Are you F*&%!ing dead?!! It's Little Bones!" That pretty much summed up the audience (except for me, of course!).
So I went home a happy camper, being able to hear We'll Go Too, The Wherewithal and Vapour Trails for the first time, along with some other rare favourites like Pigeon Camera (3rd time) and Looking (2nd), and of course Courage and NOIS for the 1,923,765,236,123 time :mrgreen:
The boys came out strong with Grace, Too, which was probably the best I've ever heard it. It was really energetic and just came off really, really well. The rest of the first set sort of devolved a bit for me though. At Transformation was great, and I enjoyed MMP and AABC, but NOIS is definitely one song I'd wish they would drop from their set list (which I know will never happen). It would have been nice to have one rare track in the opening set to spice it up a bit, but alas...
The Fully Completely set was great; Courage had lots of energy, but it was the rare tracks that really stood out for me. Looking, Pigeon, and especially We'll Go Too were all fantastic, as was The Wherewithal. I was so happy to hear WGT, it was probably my favourite moment (along with Vapour Trails in the closing set) of the night. That being said, I noticed the band was a bit "off" - Gord forgot the opening lyrics to Lionized, and some of Rob's lead playing was a bit sloppy. I wonder if that week plus off made them a bit rusty.
Overall, I really enjoyed the FC set, and the band seemed to enjoy playing it. While some people have complained that knowing what was coming next was a bit of a downer, I actually enjoyed it, as I was able to look forward to the rarer songs with great anticipation. I can get caught up in worry, wondering if they will play certain songs, so it was nice to know that I was going to hear some rarely played gems. It also helped to know that I was going to hear Vapour Trails in the last set...I got a peak of the setlist when the camera switched to Johnny on the drums, and the setlist was right there! I would rather it be a surprise, but at the same time it was nice to know it was coming!
The closing set was good. In View had this cool breakdown bit that kept it fresh, while Vapour Trails was awesome. Bobcayceon was fine, but I've heard it enough. Nautical was great and Little Bones had lots of energy from the band...but...
The biggest complaint about the night, which seemed to affect the band, was the total lack of energy from the crowd. Had the audience actually been engaged with the music and the band, it would have been an amazing night. It turns out Victoria makes Ottawa look like Montreal in regards to audience intensity! Victoria seemed half asleep for the majority of the night. They were into Grace, Too, and NOIS, plus a couple of tunes from FC, notably Wheat Kings, but during Little Bones Gord made the funniest comment I've ever heard him say. Most of the front row (most of the audience in general, too) were just kind of standing there, perhaps bobbing their heads a bit, but not much else. Gord was looking at either a section near the front, or a particular person (couldn't tell) and he yells out "Are you F*&%!ing dead?!! It's Little Bones!" That pretty much summed up the audience (except for me, of course!).
So I went home a happy camper, being able to hear We'll Go Too, The Wherewithal and Vapour Trails for the first time, along with some other rare favourites like Pigeon Camera (3rd time) and Looking (2nd), and of course Courage and NOIS for the 1,923,765,236,123 time :mrgreen: