Re: 2016-08-14 - Toronto, Ontario
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 12:56 pm
I woke up nervous and anxious. I was very much on edge about what we were going to be seeing that night. The momentousness of the occasion. Thankfully, once we departed from Buffalo for Toronto I started to get into the groove.
Walk into the Air Canada Centre and it’s just packed. Great to see. Full of diehard fans. Walk up to our seats in the 300 section and realize how high up we are. Both my wife and I are a little thrown by it but we get used to it.
The show begins with Blow at High Dough and it’s off the races. The band sounds great. People are rocking out. It’s perfect. They follow with New Orleans and it’s just crazy. They give me a thrill by playing Opiated, one of my all-time faves. They play songs from the new album. Machine sounds great and I’m happy to hear What Blue, my favorite from Man Machine Poem.
The instrumental jam that led into The Last of the Unplucked Gems was cool. Another one of my faves. Same goes for Long Time Running, which almost brought my wife to tears. Next, they hit us with Three Pistols and I’m ecstatic. Three Pistols…wow. So, so great. I highfive the guy who is rocking out in front of me. All is right in the world.
They work in tracks from Now For Plan A – I enjoyed We Want To Be It the best – along with some from Trouble at the Henhouse. Again, I’m just thrilled to hear Flamenco. They’re just playing the perfect setlist for me. So great. Ahead By A Century nearly brings me to tears. But the positivity of the proceedings helps me keep it together. This show was very little sad, and very much all-out rock and roll and living life to the zenith.
We get some heavyweights from Phantom Power and, yes, it seemed like Gord missed the “That night in Toronto” lyric we were all waiting for. Or maybe he left that for us to sing. No matter! On to the encores with Daredevil, which is just such a cool and underrated song (this band has so many of those). Big finish with Grace, Too and we’re all just blown away. It’s the perfect concert. The perfect night.
I expected to be in tears at the end but there are no tears coming. Gord is out there alone being the consummate showman that he is, thanking the crowd sincerely, soaking up all the energy that is just roaring through the arena. It’s an amazing moment, and I think to myself, “There’s no way he’s sick. There’s just no way.”
How can anyone sing like that, move like that, entertain like that in a compromised state? Holy cow. What an inspiration. This guy is doing things that are absolutely incredible up there. Really makes you think about how you live life on a day to day basis, and if you’re really not saving a thing for later.
In leaving the stage with his head held high, Gord and the boys may be pulling off the ultimate illusion. And I am so thankful to have seen this for myself, and for all that they’ve given me over the past 18 or so years. Because it’s a lot.
Walk into the Air Canada Centre and it’s just packed. Great to see. Full of diehard fans. Walk up to our seats in the 300 section and realize how high up we are. Both my wife and I are a little thrown by it but we get used to it.
The show begins with Blow at High Dough and it’s off the races. The band sounds great. People are rocking out. It’s perfect. They follow with New Orleans and it’s just crazy. They give me a thrill by playing Opiated, one of my all-time faves. They play songs from the new album. Machine sounds great and I’m happy to hear What Blue, my favorite from Man Machine Poem.
The instrumental jam that led into The Last of the Unplucked Gems was cool. Another one of my faves. Same goes for Long Time Running, which almost brought my wife to tears. Next, they hit us with Three Pistols and I’m ecstatic. Three Pistols…wow. So, so great. I highfive the guy who is rocking out in front of me. All is right in the world.
They work in tracks from Now For Plan A – I enjoyed We Want To Be It the best – along with some from Trouble at the Henhouse. Again, I’m just thrilled to hear Flamenco. They’re just playing the perfect setlist for me. So great. Ahead By A Century nearly brings me to tears. But the positivity of the proceedings helps me keep it together. This show was very little sad, and very much all-out rock and roll and living life to the zenith.
We get some heavyweights from Phantom Power and, yes, it seemed like Gord missed the “That night in Toronto” lyric we were all waiting for. Or maybe he left that for us to sing. No matter! On to the encores with Daredevil, which is just such a cool and underrated song (this band has so many of those). Big finish with Grace, Too and we’re all just blown away. It’s the perfect concert. The perfect night.
I expected to be in tears at the end but there are no tears coming. Gord is out there alone being the consummate showman that he is, thanking the crowd sincerely, soaking up all the energy that is just roaring through the arena. It’s an amazing moment, and I think to myself, “There’s no way he’s sick. There’s just no way.”
How can anyone sing like that, move like that, entertain like that in a compromised state? Holy cow. What an inspiration. This guy is doing things that are absolutely incredible up there. Really makes you think about how you live life on a day to day basis, and if you’re really not saving a thing for later.
In leaving the stage with his head held high, Gord and the boys may be pulling off the ultimate illusion. And I am so thankful to have seen this for myself, and for all that they’ve given me over the past 18 or so years. Because it’s a lot.