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Topic: TheStar.com: Perfect Summer Pairing (Read 1030 times) |
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Shannon
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TheStar.com: Perfect Summer Pairing
« on: Jul 25th, 2006, 10:54am » |
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http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/A rticle_Type1&c=Article&cid=1153779010330&call_pageid=968867495754&col=969483191630
Perfect summer pairing
Jul. 25, 2006. 06:37 AM
VIT WAGNER
POP MUSIC CRITIC
At this point in their respective careers, it's unlikely that either Counting Crows or the Goo Goo Dolls would be able to pull in the roughly 16,000 needed to fill the Molson Amphitheatre.
But teamed together, the two once-ascendant '90s rock bands came very close to doing that last night, thanks in some part to the substantial contingent of walk-up customers who decided to take advantage of a perfect summer evening to snag one of the remaining seats on the back lawn.
The Goo Goo Dolls, although nominally the undercard, garnered as enthusiastic a reception as any opener has received at the lakeside venue — save, perhaps, for that peculiar night a few seasons back when Bob Dylan warmed up the house for Phil Lesh.
During a career that has spanned two decades, the Buffalo band has gone from being influenced by the Replacements to fashioning a style of anthemic, MOR pop that paved the way for Matchbox Twenty. Fronted by mainstay singer-guitarist Johnny Rzeznik and bassist Robby Takac, the quintet performed a 65-minute set divided almost equally between long-standing fan favourites and selections from this year's Let Love In.
That album's title track concluded the set, before the band was brought back for a three-song encore that included a cover of Supertramp's "Give a Little Bit." The audience had plenty of patience for the new material, but reserved its sing-along enthusiasm for "Slide," "Iris" and "Name" — the last of these given an anti-war spin during Rzeznik's introduction.
About the only similarity between the two acts was that Counting Crows singer Adam Duritz, like Takac, strode the stage barefoot. Any doubts the headliner would match the level of adoration bestowed earlier was quickly dispelled when the septet launched its set with "Hard Candy."
Without a new album to work, Counting Crows was at greater leisure to explore its roots-rock catalogue of songs almost invariably attached to the theme of loss, romantic and otherwise. One notable exception was "Monkey," a song the band recently re-introduced to the set list — and one that Duritz introduced as uncharacteristically devoid of cynicism.
"It's a true love song, something I don't often write," he said. "It just happens to be about the most incredible bitch I've ever met."
Obviously that relationship — like the one Duritz said he had with a Toronto woman whose parents met him backstage at an earlier Amphitheatre appearance — didn't last.
Performing before a cinematic backdrop that far exceeded the limited technical gimmickry of the opener's set, Counting Crows also roused the crowd with "Omaha" and its jiggly cover of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi." It was "Round Here," however, with Duritz in full mad poet/preacher mode that illustrated the band's enduring capacity to inspire almost creepily rapturous devotion.
Even Rzeznik couldn't quite manage that.
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nmf016
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Re: TheStar.com: Perfect Summer Pairing
« Reply #1 on: Jul 25th, 2006, 10:58am » |
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I don't think a dude who confuses Name with Better Days should be allowed to review anything...
It was very strange Stay With You didn't get a huge crowd reaction. It was the first song and it's the #2 song in Toronto right now. Weird.
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Shannon
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Re: TheStar.com: Perfect Summer Pairing
« Reply #2 on: Jul 25th, 2006, 11:11am » |
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It sounds like that whole crowd was just weird. It was the opposite of what I was expecting to hear too. Like you said SWY has been #1 in Canada and I always hear how great and full of energy the Canadian crowds are. Very strange indeed.
We need some input from out Canadian friends here .... is this a normal Canadian crowd reaction? I've seen shows in Canada before and never experienced this.
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YoursGOOLY
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Re: TheStar.com: Perfect Summer Pairing
« Reply #3 on: Jul 25th, 2006, 5:20pm » |
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on Jul 25th, 2006, 10:58am, nmf016 wrote:| I don't think a dude who confuses Name with Better Days should be allowed to review anything... |
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ROFL...good one! 
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ashleylovesgoo
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Re: TheStar.com: Perfect Summer Pairing
« Reply #4 on: Jul 25th, 2006, 5:38pm » |
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This is what I posted over on AbsoluteGoo.com
I was there and it was my 3rd time seeing them (first 2 were opening acts for Bon Jovi). I LOVE the Goo's and they are amazing live, but there was something missing lastnight. Don't get me wrong, the guys were amazing and soo into it.. but the crowd was lazy! The Goo fans were waaay out numbered by CC fans.. it felt as if I was at a CC concert with the Goo's opening. Not even halfway through the set Robby said "this next song is going to all you people with your asses glued to your seats.. why, i dont know?" and after that a few more got up. When the CC's came on the place went nuts and everyone was standing.. I just don't get it. Toronto is usually more supportive of them.. weird. The set list was a little on the sort side and lacked a few hits that I was hoping to hear. All in all, I'm glad I got to see them.. just wish I could have seen more
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laurengoo
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Re: TheStar.com: Perfect Summer Pairing
« Reply #5 on: Jul 26th, 2006, 1:23pm » |
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on Jul 25th, 2006, 11:11am, Shannon wrote:| We need some input from out Canadian friends here .... is this a normal Canadian crowd reaction? I've seen shows in Canada before and never experienced this. |
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Not usually at all, I was at the Kool Haus in Toronto for another concert of a band I am not going to mention because you're all going to laugh at me, but the crowd went nuts and were really cheering for this band. I even cheered to the songs that I knew!
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| « Last Edit: Jul 26th, 2006, 1:25pm by laurengoo » |
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