The Horseshoe

I know I was walking into a sold-out show at the Horseshoe this evening. I haven’t been to a sold out show there in a very long time. It is usually during the weekdays and there is plenty of room to work.

This evening was an evening for sardines. I was just another small fish packed into a sweaty bar ready to get lost in the world of The Band and beyond!

This is a Thursday evening, and people were prepared to go to work the next day tired. These are the kind of shows worth going to. There is nothing wrong about be enveloped in a space that will just be a great experience for your well-being. It is so worth being a little tired the next day. I try to be as tired whenever I can. You should try it now and again.

Chest Fever

As I found my tiny square on the dance floor, I noticed a picture of Richard Manuel on the keyboards. I knew this is the band that will do justice to the Band. In fact, they just sort of fell into this musical journey. They were asked to perform a show filled with music from the Band. They had no idea it was going to blow up into something that really helped form this group.

They started the show with “Up on Cripple Creek”. From there they showed off their horn section with, “The shape I’m in”.  Not only can they play this music note for note, but they can also add on extended jams to add the authenticity of this music.  I did happen to catch a bunch of mushroom pizzas being delivered to the backstage area before the show. I believe that inspired the extended jams…just saying.

Local Artists

What I love about this band is when they do go on these “Last Waltz” tours, they will use local talent to come out and perform with them to really add the whole Last Waltz experience to the crowd. So, this band from the States asks local Toronto artists to perform certain parts of the show. They have a talent for choosing the right artist to perform the right song. Here is a list of the artists who showed up to make Toronto shine brighter.

We had- Nick Campbell singing –Who do you Love

Don Stevenson from Moby Grape singing- Such a Night

Ally- Rag Mama Rag

Ian Rivers- Dry Your Eyes

Paul Reddick- Mystery Train

Coner Gains- Further up the Road

Donavan Locke- Caledonia and Mannish Boy

Rebekah Hawker- Coyote

The Pairs- Doing a few different songs

Skye Wallace- Caravan

Jerry Leger- Doing the Bob Dylan parts

The Last Waltz

I was feeling that hippie blood running through my veins as I was entranced by the note for note execution and was transported elsewhere during their extended solos. It was a master class of a stage full of musicians meeting for the first time and knocking these classic songs out of the park.

It made the entire evening fun watching our local musicians get on stage and play their hearts out with this American band that travels once a year to do a show in Toronto.

The reception and excitement of watching all these people playing together with an abundance of enthusiasm is so worth the price of admission.

A great example was watching The Pairs having a good time and then leaving the stage happy, only to have them run back on with an attitude of I really want to sing this song too, was a shining example of the level of fun and commitment these artists had this evening.

Another example would be young rocker Nick Campbell walking on stage to sing Romping Ronnie Hawkins song, “Who do you love”. Nick stomped the hell out of that song so well the other performers were all dancing at the side of the stage just waiting for their turn. This was the first real highlight of the evening.

As a side note, Don Stevenson from the San Francisco band Moby Grape got onto the stage and got us feeling loose to “Such a night”. Don now lives here in Toronto and is thinking of creating a new group that will pay tribute to Moby Grape. I would pay money to see that!

What made this show special was that they did not stick to the same formula that you would have seen in the movie. They changed some of the order and added a few rare classic rock songs to add a new twist to this dance. The reason they do it, is because if they continue to do the same show over and over, it will lose its luster. So, we got an earful of different songs like, “Georgia on my mind”, “Dry your eyes” and “Soul Man”. Soul Man was performed because we just lost Stan Cropper who played with Booker T and the MG’s and on the Blues Brothers song.

A couple of highlights to mention was Donavan Locke singing the blues. He kept his versions of Caledonia and Mannish boy very close to the original song and the joyful character in his voice had left everyone in a great mood.

When Skye Wallace showed up on stage with a strange woman dressed in a Van the Man jumpsuit, Caravan took on a whole new life. The cosplay Van the Man began dancing around stage and then made her way through the audience, while Skye slowly ramped up this song to a tremendous crescendo. It was a moment of pure unbridled fun.

We truly hit the highlight with the classic Band song, “The night they drove old Dixie down”.  People at the back of the bar were singing at the top of their lungs. Short order cooks from next door came over to sing with us. A mortician in his top hat ran out crying and got into an Uber. The Uber driver quit his job so he could watch the rest of the show!

Jerry Leger completely went to town when they played that rocking Bob Dylan song, “Baby, let me follow you down” Jerry then dedicated the next song to Don Stevenson because the two of them performed “Forever Young”, together two years ago when they played this show at the sold-out Massey Hall show.

Next Year

If you are even slightly interested in going to see a show like this one, just wait about a year when they return to do it again. If you love a quality show and have time to really enjoy an evening out, this is one for your wish list. I forgot to mention, these guys play for over 4 hours, so bring plenty of beer money and strap yourself in for an evening of amazing classic rock! Have a look at my short video of them sing the “Shape I’m in”. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DR4hPCZjWTc/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I am already counting the days until I get to escape life for four hours. Here is a link to their website so you can stay informed on the next time they come to Toronto.

Chest Fever – The Official Revival of The Band

Here are plenty of images from a great evening: