This is by far the biggest venue we’ve ever seen GBS play. That has good points and bad points. Obviously the view and sound wasn’t as good. But the energy level of the crowd was pretty amazing – I can see why the band lives for this sort of thing. Although I have to say I don’t think the Toronto crowd were all die-hard fans the way the Water Street Music Hall crowds were. Most of them didn’t even know the words to “Rant and Roar”!
The opening act wasn’t bad, except they didn’t know when to quit. They said they were doing a last couple of songs, and everybody cheered, but then about 3 songs later they said they were doing the last song. And then afterwards, they did another. And then when everybody cheered the announcement that they were going off to let Great Big Sea come out, they did the same two songs again as a medley. And again! I yelled out “How can we miss you if you won’t go away”, which a few people around me found amusing.
GBS didn’t do all the same songs they did at Water Street. For instance they left off some of the songs from The Hard and The Easy, their latest album. I can’t figure out if they added any in, but the shows were probably the same length. But they did do that bizarre medely of popular songs from the past 30 years. It’s scary how few of them I know the words.
Once again I left a Great Big Sea concert hoarse from singing along, with my knees sore as hell from jumping up and down, and with my ears ringing. And I love it.
How would they know the words to “Rant and Roar”? GBS is a foreign band.