07-22-2007, 11:31 AM
Went to Detroit Lakes last night. The venue in this Detroit was no Cobo Arena. The stage set was minimal (you could read the sign for "cheese curds" through the back of the stage) and there was very little use of the what lighting was there. This very basic staging would have been no big deal if the sound was ok. Which it wasn't. The band (who was ON all night long) sounded punchless and muddy in the mix. At one point the entire band lost power for just a moment, althouth they played right through it with out missing much of a beat. Worst of all, Gord's vocals kept fading in and out - going from too loud to muffled. I hope that the crummy sound was the reason for Gord's vocal performance - more on that later...
The band opened with a rockin' version of LEOTRink that set a furious pace out of the gate. Grace, Too followed. By the time the band hit the first chorus, I was a bit worried about how the rest of the song (and rest of the night) would go. NOIS was next and performed in the same way. Gordon Downie was simply yelling the lyrics. Not singing - yelling. When the band gave way to some of the less raucous material, he allowed himself to put melody before shouting. IAGLIYDW, Bobcaygeon, and ABAC were examples of this, as were The Ocean and World Container. Sure, his voice still sounded quite rough during parts of those songs, but at least he was singing. When the Hundreth Meridian kicked in, Gord reverted to his raspy yelp for much of the song. The jam in the middle was extended and really ferocious. As they went back to the main tune, Gord did the same (now predictable) rapid, high pitched scream he has been doing for awhile during the Ry Cooder line. The band sounded really incredible during Fully Completely and Escape IAHFTTM. Escape was probably the biggest disappointment of the night, however. Despite the great vibe created by the rest of the band, Gordie's vocal delivery towards the end of the song took away from the beautiful buildup that had taken us there. The second time through the chorus, during the line, "you said anytime of the night was also fine...",GD just bailed. I have seen this song performed many times and have enjoyed listening to Gord Downie outsing entire audiences by the time it gets to that point in the song. On his particular occasion, he just yelled (with almost no regard for the melody that preceded it) rather than even trying to hit a note. Awww!
By my account, here are a few of the things missing from each of the songs:
Grace, Too: No more of the dynamics: soft singing into majestic call-outs, and none of the beauty when the band breaks it down to the simple title lyric "...and Grace, too..."
New Orleans Is Sinking: Obviously no Killer Whale tank (or anything even close to like it)! Beyond that, the melody was absent during much of the lead vocal.
Bobcaygeon: No real crescendo for "That night in Toronto..." or extra feeling put into "... with that Aryan twang""
Escape: This song is best when performed with dynamic range and when it showcases Gord's singing. I've heard him really soar on this in the past during "anytime of the day was fine.." and get a great swell to his voice when hitting the last notes of "anytime of the night was also... Fine" Hearing Gordie bark that last note on Friday (for me) took away much of the effect of the song - a personal favorite tune of mine.
Maybe to the casual fan energy and antics are more appealing than singing. I wouldn't think that would be the case, but the Hip probably knows best. I know that as an avid fan (and again, I hesitate to assume that other devotees feel the same way) I'd prefer that Gord sing with a little less volume and instead concentrate on the purity of each note, the subtleties of each vocal turn, and using the bravado in his voice (as opposed to screaming) to crank it up a notch.
The rest of the boys were really on a rollicking level for the show, however. And my buddy, who has seen the Hip four times now, thought that the whole show was great. I don't want to give such a negative review, but this show was my 5th in the past fifteen months and 35th overall. It just seemed to be a regression from the more recent standout performances I'd seen. I didn't post reviews of those shows, but am inclined to do so after posting this diatribe...
The band opened with a rockin' version of LEOTRink that set a furious pace out of the gate. Grace, Too followed. By the time the band hit the first chorus, I was a bit worried about how the rest of the song (and rest of the night) would go. NOIS was next and performed in the same way. Gordon Downie was simply yelling the lyrics. Not singing - yelling. When the band gave way to some of the less raucous material, he allowed himself to put melody before shouting. IAGLIYDW, Bobcaygeon, and ABAC were examples of this, as were The Ocean and World Container. Sure, his voice still sounded quite rough during parts of those songs, but at least he was singing. When the Hundreth Meridian kicked in, Gord reverted to his raspy yelp for much of the song. The jam in the middle was extended and really ferocious. As they went back to the main tune, Gord did the same (now predictable) rapid, high pitched scream he has been doing for awhile during the Ry Cooder line. The band sounded really incredible during Fully Completely and Escape IAHFTTM. Escape was probably the biggest disappointment of the night, however. Despite the great vibe created by the rest of the band, Gordie's vocal delivery towards the end of the song took away from the beautiful buildup that had taken us there. The second time through the chorus, during the line, "you said anytime of the night was also fine...",GD just bailed. I have seen this song performed many times and have enjoyed listening to Gord Downie outsing entire audiences by the time it gets to that point in the song. On his particular occasion, he just yelled (with almost no regard for the melody that preceded it) rather than even trying to hit a note. Awww!
By my account, here are a few of the things missing from each of the songs:
Grace, Too: No more of the dynamics: soft singing into majestic call-outs, and none of the beauty when the band breaks it down to the simple title lyric "...and Grace, too..."
New Orleans Is Sinking: Obviously no Killer Whale tank (or anything even close to like it)! Beyond that, the melody was absent during much of the lead vocal.
Bobcaygeon: No real crescendo for "That night in Toronto..." or extra feeling put into "... with that Aryan twang""
Escape: This song is best when performed with dynamic range and when it showcases Gord's singing. I've heard him really soar on this in the past during "anytime of the day was fine.." and get a great swell to his voice when hitting the last notes of "anytime of the night was also... Fine" Hearing Gordie bark that last note on Friday (for me) took away much of the effect of the song - a personal favorite tune of mine.
Maybe to the casual fan energy and antics are more appealing than singing. I wouldn't think that would be the case, but the Hip probably knows best. I know that as an avid fan (and again, I hesitate to assume that other devotees feel the same way) I'd prefer that Gord sing with a little less volume and instead concentrate on the purity of each note, the subtleties of each vocal turn, and using the bravado in his voice (as opposed to screaming) to crank it up a notch.
The rest of the boys were really on a rollicking level for the show, however. And my buddy, who has seen the Hip four times now, thought that the whole show was great. I don't want to give such a negative review, but this show was my 5th in the past fifteen months and 35th overall. It just seemed to be a regression from the more recent standout performances I'd seen. I didn't post reviews of those shows, but am inclined to do so after posting this diatribe...