Just got back from the ACC/a night of drinking with some Queen's friends of mine. NO, I AM NOT DRUNK. What's that? "No one's accusing you of being drunk, Steve!" "Oh. Uh, well then! Uh, let's get down to it shall we?"
I guess I'll start with this: heading into tonight's show, I'd seen four consecutive Hip concerts in which I hadn't heard an "old" (i.e., pre-IBE) song live for the first time. To that end, I was hoping to hear
something different tonight--preferably "Thugs", although I wasn't optimistic. Before the show, me and Talia (who've now seen the Hip together seven times) made up our respective wish lists; both included "Thugs", while mine also included (well, in the "relastic chance of hearing them live" category anyway) "Makeshift" and "Fully Completely". In that sense, I was very happy: both were played, I rocked out, I moved on. But up until the second encore I still hadn't heard an "old" new song...and I was getting depressed. I don't like complaining where the Hip is concerned, but I mean...couldn't they mix it up a
little more, at least when I'm in the house? My buddies who couldn't name twelve Hip songs between them if a gun was pointed at their temples heard "Something On" in Thunder Bay...and I mean, I've seen the band ten times now and never heard that song!
So when "Three Pistols" started, I was pleased. Very, very pleased, in fact. Ten shows, first time hearing it live...and my five concert streak was broken. For some reason, this allowed me to enjoy everything I'd heard up until that point a lot more. The setlist was very much a standard, hits oriented show; "Silver Jet" was the closest thing to a "rarity", and if a second single off a recent album is a rarity then I'm Winston Churchill (okay, maybe I am a little bit drunk...and yes, I realize how weak that simile was--I've been doing a lot of marking lately). It was nice hearing a few songs I hadn't heard live yet this tour (notably "Gift Shop", which I always love, as well as "Boots", which I hadn't heard live in almost four years), however, and the performance was rock blonde solid. Gord had some memorable moments...and also, since the acoustics at the ACC were flawless, his rants were much easier to decipher than usual. Oh, and the "VS"/"FC"/"G2" opening salvo was amazing--just amazing.
Where am I going with this? Not too sure, to be honest. It was a good show--a solid show, even. In terms of the other shows I've seen this tour I'd probably rank it third or fourth (out of four). Why? Because it was solid, not transcendental...and seeing the Hip in a club (6/29), their hometown and the concert you'd previously described as the best of theirs you'd ever seen (Ottawa Bluesfest), it's not quite there. Still, I'm not going to complain about the live Hip experience...and if what I've written sounds like a complaint, just remember: I'M NOT REALLY DRUNK.
Steve