2016-08-14 - Toronto, Ontario

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Scotty12
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Re: 2016-08-14 - Toronto, Ontario

Post by Scotty12 »

Incredible day for me driving from Kingston with no ticket so that I could put my camera in Juan's hands. Ended up with the incredible karma of a GREAT seat and shot most of the show on my phone. Listened to it on the drive home and relived the show, so many thoughts to gather and post. Before I commence the gathering, I must give the basers what they want:

Here are my vids (from the phone) that have uploaded already.

Subscribe to this YouTube channel if you are interested in notification when many more videos make their way through the pipeline


Does this beast of a Grace, too CLOSER deserve a name? Perhaps "Toronto3 Grace, Too " or "Grace, Too from Toronto3" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYib_LI6oVQ

Bobcaygeon & applause to close the first encore: https://youtu.be/6iJjIios5kI

Poets: https://youtu.be/w3O1aquWZ2M

Escape is at hand for the travellin man: https://youtu.be/w3O1aquWZ2M

Little Bones set closer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAWgrbx_UoU

Long Time Running: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onEFGRMNilk

So much more where these came from! Stay tuned :music
Last edited by Scotty12 on Mon Aug 15, 2016 11:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Moof_Milker
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Re: 2016-08-14 - Toronto, Ontario

Post by Moof_Milker »

Another fantastic show! Gord and the band sounded unbelievably tight. Everyone was on point. This time the view was from the gondola. It actually wasn't a bad vantage point. Hard to pick a favourite moment...but LOVED 'Man Machine Poem' "Breath-tak-ingly...the egg thief...his wins...are thin...avocet and peregrine" Gord, the poet. Also loved the "Him? Here? Now? No!"s that closed out the night. So grateful to have been there.
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Re: 2016-08-14 - Toronto, Ontario

Post by redhill »

Fantastic show... still trying to process the whole ordeal actually

To watch up close this man saying thank you and goodbye is heart wrenching tho
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Re: 2016-08-14 - Toronto, Ontario

Post by The Heron Outside »

NWOntario wrote:
The Heron Outside wrote:
thechubb44 wrote:What is the house music right before the show starts? I know that's vague. But I dig this song and have no idea what it is
Yea, anyone? Shazam obviously couldn't pick it up...
Yeah! "Punkrocker" by Teddybears, with Iggy Pop.
Thanks so much.
Escape Is At Hand-Tales of a Boy and a Band due June 2013 from Eternal Cavalier Press
http://eternalcavalierpress.com
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sean.bonner
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Re: 2016-08-14 - Toronto, Ontario

Post by sean.bonner »

I haven't heard that song in years. Used to have the Teddybears CD.

Too bad all my discs are collecting dust.

Should have just stuck with vinyl all those years ago.
2004-12-03 - Saint John/2005-09-03 - Moncton/2006-06-30 - Charlottetown/2006-11-09/10 - Montreal/2007-09-11 - Fredericton/2007-09-13 - Halifax/2007-09-14 - Sydney/2007-09-15 - Charlottetown/2008-06-30 - Charlottetown/2009-05-01/02 - Montreal/2011-06-28 - Moncton/2011-06-30 - Charlottetown/2012-06-30 - Niagara-on-the-Lake/2013-02-01 - Moncton/2013-02-02 - Halifax/2015-01-10 - Toronto/2015-02-20 - Montreal/2015-07-17 - Ottawa/2016-08-18 - Ottawa/2016-08-20 - Kingston
Scotty12
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Re: 2016-08-14 - Toronto, Ontario

Post by Scotty12 »

Scotty12 wrote:Suggestions for where I could find a decently priced decent single? :lol:

3 hour drive ahead of me once I can secure it!

Fingers crossed for the lottery in two hours.
For starters, I made the 3 hour drive without a ticket based soley on the fact that Juan was willing to use my camera to film from the second row. Posted "wanted" ads on Kijiji and hipbase, received zero email or text responses from either. Understandable. Reached out to several friends that were attending the show and they all had a similar message - scalpers were looking to buy more than they were advertising to sell. Good luck!
paintedbynumbers wrote:We ending w Bob tonight or 50 MC?
50 MC was my prediction all night too but I was happy to "settle" for that beast of a Grace.

Arrival at the ACC was JUST in time to meet Juan and lend him my cameras before he entered. Perhaps slightly late. What a generous legend he is to this community, such a pleasure to meet and thank him. I did my best to keep from panicking as honks rained down upon my car parked illegally in Maple Leaf square while Juan stood beside my car to receive a crash course on my camera. It felt like it took 15 minutes to navigate out of that chaos and another hour to get into my friends condo to park and walk back to the venue, and it was a zoo down there. Add to the fact that a ticket trade I had lined up for a rare pearl jam poster fell through (he claimed to have scalped his 300s for $600!) and I was starting to feel nervous about getting in the building.

The first ticket seller I approached was a scalper posing as a fan (a pretty common practice at the ACC) and he wanted me to "buy his single for $300" so "he and his buddy" can buy a pair from another scalper for $600." His single was in row 29 of the lonley end of the rink, and it was a crumpled up paper ticket. That wasn't happening.

At this point it was probably about 8 pm and some people had already lucked out waiting in the will call line, so I took my place. Approximately 50 people ahead of me, which could mean as many as 100 tickets, some of which were surely getting scalped. Every 5-10 minutes I would have the guy behind me hold my place while I sprinted outside to see if there was anything reasonable available. The blue jays game ending before the hip concert certainly increased demand as it seemed the majority of people looking for seats were wearing jerseys/ballcaps. Scalpers were bullish with their asking prices, and if I was going to spend hundreds above face on this tour, it was going to be for a premium seat or Kingston. No exceptions. Back to the line I went.

Shortly after 8, my miracle occurred. A middle age woman walked past our line, unfolded a pair of tickets and gazed around the atrium. Could this be my chance? "Do you have an extra ticket ma'am?" I asked. "An extra ticket? Why of course I do! How did you know?" she smiled. It honestly seemed too good to be true. Was this lady playing a joke on this stranger in line with dozens of others waiting to buy tickets?

"You'll need to come with me right now and say you are my husband. Is that ok? He is stuck in traffic."

"Yes, of course that is ok! I drove from Kingston to see this show, thank you so much" I stammered, tripping on the ropes as I lept out of the will call line. This was an overwhelmingly happy moment, full of elation and relief. Some of the people waiting beside me in line for tickets were cheering. "WAY TO GO BUDDY!" one guy yelled, hitting the air with several uppercuts in my direction as I walked into the venue on cloud 9, not yet knowing how perfect my sidestage seats would be to film.

"Before the show starts, can I get you anything?" I asked my ticket fairy godmother. "No no, Im fine" she replied. Moments later "perhaps a water" .... I would have siphoned it directly from Lake Ontario if thats what she wanted!

The opening notes of blow sent chills down my spine. After soaking every note in I decided to focus and seize the opportunity to record as much of the show as I could for posterity. Since my teens I have been enjoying the contributions of tapers and I was very content to put myself in their shoes for an evening.

Up to here and MMP sets felt pretty standard. Was happy to hear Opiated even though I knew it was coming. If I had been on the first show of the tour and not expecting that it would have been a highlight.

Now for Plan A...would have preferred any album in its place (especially WATS), but the band seemed very into their performance and I enjoyed that. If memory serves me correctly Gord dedicated one of the songs to someone (Pete?) so maybe NFPA was requested by friend/family. He also made a reference "she said it to him" to intro We want to be it, which reminded me of the Massey Hall 09 show when he said WATS was a conversation between a man and a woman. God I wish I we heard WATS instead, can you tell?

The Henhouse set was solid. Crowd ate gift shop right up after the lull that was MMP/NFPA set and springtime carries extra meaning on this tour. Ahead by a century has also been transformed from a hit song you hear every show to an emotional song with heightened meaning. At least for me.

Road apples was stellar. Gems felt like it exists in the set to give Gord a rest/wardrobe change and in context the intro was an even slower build than normal while you await his return. Three pistols blew the roof off the place and as a fan of Twist it was great to hear. As far as hip songs go I'll always prefer a gritty live version of the luxury to long time running, but that was another beautiful moment in the concert and I wouldn't have swapped them given the choice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onEFGRMNilk

Loved little bones as a closer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAWgrbx_UoU

Now, onto the encore(s)

Phantom power. Such a powerhouse album. I would have loved anything they played off it, and was happy to see it appearing in most shows. Cutting it down to three would be a tough task, especially considering the crowd must be pleased. Felt fortunate to hear escape before the hits that an encore requires. May have to make the last minute zip to Ham or Ottawa to chase membership, something on, and fireworks in a main set.

Escape: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H9_G27zpnc
Poets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3O1aquWZ2M
Bobcaygeon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iJjIios5kI


Daredevil set the table perfectly, serving as a fantastic appetizer for that incredible Grace, Too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYib_LI6oVQ

Have never been to a concert with so much emotion both on and off the stage. Probably will never, with the exception of Kingston on Saturday.

Do I love lastnights Grace so much because I was there and associate what I felt, similar to the way so many parents think their kid is the cutest ever? Or was it as good as I thought it was and Im not crazy in thinking this version of Grace deserves a "name?"

As someone that had been critical of Gord yelling & the bands lack of inspired setlists in recent years (you knew shows were opening with grace/at transformation in 2013 and could predict most sets with reasonable accuracy) this tour has been incredible. Lastnight was filled with fantastic and inspiring performances and closing a 3 night run with their "opener" was perfect in my mind.

Many more thoughts / video to follow. Need to go do some work for now!
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Re: 2016-08-14 - Toronto, Ontario

Post by redhill »

Scotty12 wrote:
Scotty12 wrote:Suggestions for where I could find a decently priced decent single? :lol:

3 hour drive ahead of me once I can secure it!

Fingers crossed for the lottery in two hours.
For starters, I made the 3 hour drive without a ticket based soley on the fact that Juan was willing to use my camera to film from the second row. Posted "wanted" ads on Kijiji and hipbase, received zero email or text responses from either. Understandable. Reached out to several friends that were attending the show and they all had a similar message - scalpers were looking to buy more than they were advertising to sell. Good luck!
paintedbynumbers wrote:We ending w Bob tonight or 50 MC?
50 MC was my prediction all night too but I was happy to "settle" for that beast of a Grace.

Arrival at the ACC was JUST in time to meet Juan and lend him my cameras before he entered. Perhaps slightly late. What a generous legend he is to this community, such a pleasure to meet and thank him. I did my best to keep from panicking as honks rained down upon my car parked illegally in Maple Leaf square while Juan stood beside my car to receive a crash course on my camera. It felt like it took 15 minutes to navigate out of that chaos and another hour to get into my friends condo to park and walk back to the venue, and it was a zoo down there. Add to the fact that a ticket trade I had lined up for a rare pearl jam poster fell through (he claimed to have scalped his 300s for $600!) and I was starting to feel nervous about getting in the building.

The first ticket seller I approached was a scalper posing as a fan (a pretty common practice at the ACC) and he wanted me to "buy his single for $300" so "he and his buddy" can buy a pair from another scalper for $600." His single was in row 29 of the lonley end of the rink, and it was a crumpled up paper ticket. That wasn't happening.

At this point it was probably about 8 pm and some people had already lucked out waiting in the will call line, so I took my place. Approximately 50 people ahead of me, which could mean as many as 100 tickets, some of which were surely getting scalped. Every 5-10 minutes I would have the guy behind me hold my place while I sprinted outside to see if there was anything reasonable available. The blue jays game ending before the hip concert certainly increased demand as it seemed the majority of people looking for seats were wearing jerseys/ballcaps. Scalpers were bullish with their asking prices, and if I was going to spend hundreds above face on this tour, it was going to be for a premium seat or Kingston. No exceptions. Back to the line I went.

Shortly after 8, my miracle occurred. A middle age woman walked past our line, unfolded a pair of tickets and gazed around the atrium. Could this be my chance? "Do you have an extra ticket ma'am?" I asked. "An extra ticket? Why of course I do! How did you know?" she smiled. It honestly seemed too good to be true. Was this lady playing a joke on this stranger in line with dozens of others waiting to buy tickets?

"You'll need to come with me right now and say you are my husband. Is that ok? He is stuck in traffic."

"Yes, of course that is ok! I drove from Kingston to see this show, thank you so much" I stammered, tripping on the ropes as I lept out of the will call line. This was an overwhelmingly happy moment, full of elation and relief. Some of the people waiting beside me in line for tickets were cheering. "WAY TO GO BUDDY!" one guy yelled, hitting the air with several uppercuts in my direction as I walked into the venue on cloud 9, not yet knowing how perfect my sidestage seats would be to film.

"Before the show starts, can I get you anything?" I asked my ticket fairy godmother. "No no, Im fine" she replied. Moments later "perhaps a water" .... I would have siphoned it directly from Lake Ontario if thats what she wanted!

The opening notes of blow sent chills down my spine. After soaking every note in I decided to focus and seize the opportunity to record as much of the show as I could for posterity. Since my teens I have been enjoying the contributions of tapers and I was very content to put myself in their shoes for an evening.

Up to here and MMP sets felt pretty standard. Was happy to hear Opiated even though I knew it was coming. If I had been on the first show of the tour and not expecting that it would have been a highlight.

Now for Plan A...would have preferred any album in its place (especially WATS), but the band seemed very into their performance and I enjoyed that. If memory serves me correctly Gord dedicated one of the songs to someone (Pete?) so maybe NFPA was requested by friend/family. He also made a reference "she said it to him" to intro We want to be it, which reminded me of the Massey Hall 09 show when he said WATS was a conversation between a man and a woman. God I wish I we heard WATS instead, can you tell?

The Henhouse set was solid. Crowd ate gift shop right up after the lull that was MMP/NFPA set and springtime carries extra meaning on this tour. Ahead by a century has also been transformed from a hit song you hear every show to an emotional song with heightened meaning. At least for me.

Road apples was stellar. Gems felt like it exists in the set to give Gord a rest/wardrobe change and in context the intro was an even slower build than normal while you await his return. Three pistols blew the roof off the place and as a fan of Twist it was great to hear. As far as hip songs go I'll always prefer a gritty live version of the luxury to long time running, but that was another beautiful moment in the concert and I wouldn't have swapped them given the choice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onEFGRMNilk

Loved little bones as a closer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAWgrbx_UoU

Now, onto the encore(s)

Phantom power. Such a powerhouse album. I would have loved anything they played off it, and was happy to see it appearing in most shows. Cutting it down to three would be a tough task, especially considering the crowd must be pleased. Felt fortunate to hear escape before the hits that an encore requires. May have to make the last minute zip to Ham or Ottawa to chase membership, something on, and fireworks in a main set.

Escape: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H9_G27zpnc
Poets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3O1aquWZ2M
Bobcaygeon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iJjIios5kI


Daredevil set the table perfectly, serving as a fantastic appetizer for that incredible Grace, Too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYib_LI6oVQ

Have never been to a concert with so much emotion both on and off the stage. Probably will never, with the exception of Kingston on Saturday.

Do I love lastnights Grace so much because I was there and associate what I felt, similar to the way so many parents think their kid is the cutest ever? Or was it as good as I thought it was and Im not crazy in thinking this version of Grace deserves a "name?"

As someone that had been critical of Gord yelling & the bands lack of inspired setlists in recent years (you knew shows were opening with grace/at transformation in 2013 and could predict most sets with reasonable accuracy) this tour has been incredible. Lastnight was filled with fantastic and inspiring performances and closing a 3 night run with their "opener" was perfect in my mind.

Many more thoughts / video to follow. Need to go do some work for now!
glad you lucked out Scotty...good on ya
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chancellor
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Re: 2016-08-14 - Toronto, Ontario

Post by chancellor »

sean.bonner wrote:
chancellor wrote:There was a teenager in front of me that played NBA live Mobile for almost the whole concert. It wasn't until Daredevil did he stand up and watch the show.
I bet he has a Kingston ticket.
He bought one of the new Hip hats as well.
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Re: 2016-08-14 - Toronto, Ontario

Post by ikky99 »

Scotty12 wrote:
Scotty12 wrote:Suggestions for where I could find a decently priced decent single? :lol:

3 hour drive ahead of me once I can secure it!

Fingers crossed for the lottery in two hours.
For starters, I made the 3 hour drive without a ticket based soley on the fact that Juan was willing to use my camera to film from the second row. Posted "wanted" ads on Kijiji and hipbase, received zero email or text responses from either. Understandable. Reached out to several friends that were attending the show and they all had a similar message - scalpers were looking to buy more than they were advertising to sell. Good luck!
paintedbynumbers wrote:We ending w Bob tonight or 50 MC?
50 MC was my prediction all night too but I was happy to "settle" for that beast of a Grace.

Arrival at the ACC was JUST in time to meet Juan and lend him my cameras before he entered. Perhaps slightly late. What a generous legend he is to this community, such a pleasure to meet and thank him. I did my best to keep from panicking as honks rained down upon my car parked illegally in Maple Leaf square while Juan stood beside my car to receive a crash course on my camera. It felt like it took 15 minutes to navigate out of that chaos and another hour to get into my friends condo to park and walk back to the venue, and it was a zoo down there. Add to the fact that a ticket trade I had lined up for a rare pearl jam poster fell through (he claimed to have scalped his 300s for $600!) and I was starting to feel nervous about getting in the building.

The first ticket seller I approached was a scalper posing as a fan (a pretty common practice at the ACC) and he wanted me to "buy his single for $300" so "he and his buddy" can buy a pair from another scalper for $600." His single was in row 29 of the lonley end of the rink, and it was a crumpled up paper ticket. That wasn't happening.

At this point it was probably about 8 pm and some people had already lucked out waiting in the will call line, so I took my place. Approximately 50 people ahead of me, which could mean as many as 100 tickets, some of which were surely getting scalped. Every 5-10 minutes I would have the guy behind me hold my place while I sprinted outside to see if there was anything reasonable available. The blue jays game ending before the hip concert certainly increased demand as it seemed the majority of people looking for seats were wearing jerseys/ballcaps. Scalpers were bullish with their asking prices, and if I was going to spend hundreds above face on this tour, it was going to be for a premium seat or Kingston. No exceptions. Back to the line I went.

Shortly after 8, my miracle occurred. A middle age woman walked past our line, unfolded a pair of tickets and gazed around the atrium. Could this be my chance? "Do you have an extra ticket ma'am?" I asked. "An extra ticket? Why of course I do! How did you know?" she smiled. It honestly seemed too good to be true. Was this lady playing a joke on this stranger in line with dozens of others waiting to buy tickets?

"You'll need to come with me right now and say you are my husband. Is that ok? He is stuck in traffic."

"Yes, of course that is ok! I drove from Kingston to see this show, thank you so much" I stammered, tripping on the ropes as I lept out of the will call line. This was an overwhelmingly happy moment, full of elation and relief. Some of the people waiting beside me in line for tickets were cheering. "WAY TO GO BUDDY!" one guy yelled, hitting the air with several uppercuts in my direction as I walked into the venue on cloud 9, not yet knowing how perfect my sidestage seats would be to film.

"Before the show starts, can I get you anything?" I asked my ticket fairy godmother. "No no, Im fine" she replied. Moments later "perhaps a water" .... I would have siphoned it directly from Lake Ontario if thats what she wanted!

The opening notes of blow sent chills down my spine. After soaking every note in I decided to focus and seize the opportunity to record as much of the show as I could for posterity. Since my teens I have been enjoying the contributions of tapers and I was very content to put myself in their shoes for an evening.

Up to here and MMP sets felt pretty standard. Was happy to hear Opiated even though I knew it was coming. If I had been on the first show of the tour and not expecting that it would have been a highlight.

Now for Plan A...would have preferred any album in its place (especially WATS), but the band seemed very into their performance and I enjoyed that. If memory serves me correctly Gord dedicated one of the songs to someone (Pete?) so maybe NFPA was requested by friend/family. He also made a reference "she said it to him" to intro We want to be it, which reminded me of the Massey Hall 09 show when he said WATS was a conversation between a man and a woman. God I wish I we heard WATS instead, can you tell?

The Henhouse set was solid. Crowd ate gift shop right up after the lull that was MMP/NFPA set and springtime carries extra meaning on this tour. Ahead by a century has also been transformed from a hit song you hear every show to an emotional song with heightened meaning. At least for me.

Road apples was stellar. Gems felt like it exists in the set to give Gord a rest/wardrobe change and in context the intro was an even slower build than normal while you await his return. Three pistols blew the roof off the place and as a fan of Twist it was great to hear. As far as hip songs go I'll always prefer a gritty live version of the luxury to long time running, but that was another beautiful moment in the concert and I wouldn't have swapped them given the choice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onEFGRMNilk

Loved little bones as a closer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAWgrbx_UoU

Now, onto the encore(s)

Phantom power. Such a powerhouse album. I would have loved anything they played off it, and was happy to see it appearing in most shows. Cutting it down to three would be a tough task, especially considering the crowd must be pleased. Felt fortunate to hear escape before the hits that an encore requires. May have to make the last minute zip to Ham or Ottawa to chase membership, something on, and fireworks in a main set.

Escape: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H9_G27zpnc
Poets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3O1aquWZ2M
Bobcaygeon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iJjIios5kI


Daredevil set the table perfectly, serving as a fantastic appetizer for that incredible Grace, Too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYib_LI6oVQ

Have never been to a concert with so much emotion both on and off the stage. Probably will never, with the exception of Kingston on Saturday.

Do I love lastnights Grace so much because I was there and associate what I felt, similar to the way so many parents think their kid is the cutest ever? Or was it as good as I thought it was and Im not crazy in thinking this version of Grace deserves a "name?"

As someone that had been critical of Gord yelling & the bands lack of inspired setlists in recent years (you knew shows were opening with grace/at transformation in 2013 and could predict most sets with reasonable accuracy) this tour has been incredible. Lastnight was filled with fantastic and inspiring performances and closing a 3 night run with their "opener" was perfect in my mind.

Many more thoughts / video to follow. Need to go do some work for now!
Best. Story. Ever.
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Re: 2016-08-14 - Toronto, Ontario

Post by kulpie »

Hey guys...so many great moments and memories from the last 3 'evenings with' in Toronto.

I've been in different seats at all 5 shows but happened to be row 4 floors (Bobby's side) in Van2 and row 2 center for Toronto 2 (right beside Juan actually with my 10 y/o daughter). Those are my highlight shows so far but each show has been epic in its own right. And the ending to Grace last night was one that will stay with me forever. I have watched it a couple times today and choke up every time. no words to how deep and meaningful these shows have been. The tight group here and the extended fam on FB have all been filled with positive vibes - i just love it!

...I am certainly not a religious dude but i am for-sure spiritual and we are so blessed that this band of five guys have given us so many zen moments. Two of my three children joined me for shows and we will share this memory forever...and Gord's setlist from Toronto2...my youngest guy is a little too young so next tour :)

Every once in a while this band gets into these grooves and just takes us away...they have done that every show but I am biased towards the TATHH and D4N deeper cuts in the catalogue and/but they have been nailing everything this tour...truly incredible.

for those that read this, you will all be super happy to know that there will be a lot of artistic things coming from Gord over the next while...And on the 19th, Sarah Harmer will be on CBC Radio and I believe playing Morning moon live...I'll try to find timing out but it will be worth the listen :)

maybe see you in Hamilton :) (no ticket but mulling it over)...peace for now! Edward
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Re: 2016-08-14 - Toronto, Ontario

Post by paulster2626 »

Does nobody else wonder what happened to the husband in that story? Gets stuck in traffic, misses the show, then just waits for his wife so he can sit in traffic all over again? That man deserves a beer!
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Re: 2016-08-14 - Toronto, Ontario

Post by edgoffin »

paulster2626 wrote:Does nobody else wonder what happened to the husband in that story? Gets stuck in traffic, misses the show, then just waits for his wife so he can sit in traffic all over again? That man deserves a beer!
I had the same thought -- that's an awkward conversation, "you're not making it in time, I'm going to pick someone out of this line to be my arm candy for the night. He here at 10:45 to pick me up."

It's actually a really funny story, what a way to get into a show.
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Re: 2016-08-14 - Toronto, Ontario

Post by chancellor »

Scotty12 wrote:
Scotty12 wrote:Suggestions for where I could find a decently priced decent single? :lol:

3 hour drive ahead of me once I can secure it!

Fingers crossed for the lottery in two hours.
For starters, I made the 3 hour drive without a ticket based soley on the fact that Juan was willing to use my camera to film from the second row. Posted "wanted" ads on Kijiji and hipbase, received zero email or text responses from either. Understandable. Reached out to several friends that were attending the show and they all had a similar message - scalpers were looking to buy more than they were advertising to sell. Good luck!
paintedbynumbers wrote:We ending w Bob tonight or 50 MC?
50 MC was my prediction all night too but I was happy to "settle" for that beast of a Grace.

Arrival at the ACC was JUST in time to meet Juan and lend him my cameras before he entered. Perhaps slightly late. What a generous legend he is to this community, such a pleasure to meet and thank him. I did my best to keep from panicking as honks rained down upon my car parked illegally in Maple Leaf square while Juan stood beside my car to receive a crash course on my camera. It felt like it took 15 minutes to navigate out of that chaos and another hour to get into my friends condo to park and walk back to the venue, and it was a zoo down there. Add to the fact that a ticket trade I had lined up for a rare pearl jam poster fell through (he claimed to have scalped his 300s for $600!) and I was starting to feel nervous about getting in the building.

The first ticket seller I approached was a scalper posing as a fan (a pretty common practice at the ACC) and he wanted me to "buy his single for $300" so "he and his buddy" can buy a pair from another scalper for $600." His single was in row 29 of the lonley end of the rink, and it was a crumpled up paper ticket. That wasn't happening.

At this point it was probably about 8 pm and some people had already lucked out waiting in the will call line, so I took my place. Approximately 50 people ahead of me, which could mean as many as 100 tickets, some of which were surely getting scalped. Every 5-10 minutes I would have the guy behind me hold my place while I sprinted outside to see if there was anything reasonable available. The blue jays game ending before the hip concert certainly increased demand as it seemed the majority of people looking for seats were wearing jerseys/ballcaps. Scalpers were bullish with their asking prices, and if I was going to spend hundreds above face on this tour, it was going to be for a premium seat or Kingston. No exceptions. Back to the line I went.

Shortly after 8, my miracle occurred. A middle age woman walked past our line, unfolded a pair of tickets and gazed around the atrium. Could this be my chance? "Do you have an extra ticket ma'am?" I asked. "An extra ticket? Why of course I do! How did you know?" she smiled. It honestly seemed too good to be true. Was this lady playing a joke on this stranger in line with dozens of others waiting to buy tickets?

"You'll need to come with me right now and say you are my husband. Is that ok? He is stuck in traffic."

"Yes, of course that is ok! I drove from Kingston to see this show, thank you so much" I stammered, tripping on the ropes as I lept out of the will call line. This was an overwhelmingly happy moment, full of elation and relief. Some of the people waiting beside me in line for tickets were cheering. "WAY TO GO BUDDY!" one guy yelled, hitting the air with several uppercuts in my direction as I walked into the venue on cloud 9, not yet knowing how perfect my sidestage seats would be to film.

"Before the show starts, can I get you anything?" I asked my ticket fairy godmother. "No no, Im fine" she replied. Moments later "perhaps a water" .... I would have siphoned it directly from Lake Ontario if thats what she wanted!

The opening notes of blow sent chills down my spine. After soaking every note in I decided to focus and seize the opportunity to record as much of the show as I could for posterity. Since my teens I have been enjoying the contributions of tapers and I was very content to put myself in their shoes for an evening.

Up to here and MMP sets felt pretty standard. Was happy to hear Opiated even though I knew it was coming. If I had been on the first show of the tour and not expecting that it would have been a highlight.

Now for Plan A...would have preferred any album in its place (especially WATS), but the band seemed very into their performance and I enjoyed that. If memory serves me correctly Gord dedicated one of the songs to someone (Pete?) so maybe NFPA was requested by friend/family. He also made a reference "she said it to him" to intro We want to be it, which reminded me of the Massey Hall 09 show when he said WATS was a conversation between a man and a woman. God I wish I we heard WATS instead, can you tell?

The Henhouse set was solid. Crowd ate gift shop right up after the lull that was MMP/NFPA set and springtime carries extra meaning on this tour. Ahead by a century has also been transformed from a hit song you hear every show to an emotional song with heightened meaning. At least for me.

Road apples was stellar. Gems felt like it exists in the set to give Gord a rest/wardrobe change and in context the intro was an even slower build than normal while you await his return. Three pistols blew the roof off the place and as a fan of Twist it was great to hear. As far as hip songs go I'll always prefer a gritty live version of the luxury to long time running, but that was another beautiful moment in the concert and I wouldn't have swapped them given the choice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onEFGRMNilk

Loved little bones as a closer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAWgrbx_UoU

Now, onto the encore(s)

Phantom power. Such a powerhouse album. I would have loved anything they played off it, and was happy to see it appearing in most shows. Cutting it down to three would be a tough task, especially considering the crowd must be pleased. Felt fortunate to hear escape before the hits that an encore requires. May have to make the last minute zip to Ham or Ottawa to chase membership, something on, and fireworks in a main set.

Escape: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H9_G27zpnc
Poets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3O1aquWZ2M
Bobcaygeon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iJjIios5kI


Daredevil set the table perfectly, serving as a fantastic appetizer for that incredible Grace, Too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYib_LI6oVQ

Have never been to a concert with so much emotion both on and off the stage. Probably will never, with the exception of Kingston on Saturday.

Do I love lastnights Grace so much because I was there and associate what I felt, similar to the way so many parents think their kid is the cutest ever? Or was it as good as I thought it was and Im not crazy in thinking this version of Grace deserves a "name?"

As someone that had been critical of Gord yelling & the bands lack of inspired setlists in recent years (you knew shows were opening with grace/at transformation in 2013 and could predict most sets with reasonable accuracy) this tour has been incredible. Lastnight was filled with fantastic and inspiring performances and closing a 3 night run with their "opener" was perfect in my mind.

Many more thoughts / video to follow. Need to go do some work for now!
Great story. It's awesome things worked out for ya. Walked by the will call line about 745ish and it was still packed.

Poor husband though. Your benefit though
puckstopper
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Posts: 69
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Re: 2016-08-14 - Toronto, Ontario

Post by puckstopper »

A few clips from the Sunday show...pretty amazing stuff.

1) Long Time Running:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7YBgpnReAM

2) Gord either intentionally or accidentally going silent for "That night in Toronto" during Bobcaygeon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_W0z15kh60

3) The ovation Gord got from the ACC crowd after the first encore:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN0fcHyJ-_8
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The Darkest Canuck
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Re: 2016-08-14 - Toronto, Ontario

Post by The Darkest Canuck »

I knew I would end up in tears at some point, glad it was Opiated at the beginning and I got it out of the way early lol.

Opiated
Escape
Flamenco
Daredevil
Eldorado
Gems

all in the same set!?!?!?! damn!
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