When iconic alt-country rockers Blue Rodeo announced their highly anticipated fortieth anniversary tour this year (yes, really – 40 years since their formation in Toronto), while securing tickets was a no-brainer, we were left wondering just who would be lucky enough to accompany them on this adventure across the great white north. A mile-wide smile quickly broke out upon learning that Adam Baldwin was invited to handle such duties – what a truly amazing combination this would be for fans new and old alike.
No stranger to us here at GDW – whether as a solo artist or as an integral bandmate of Matt Mays – Adam Baldwin is always in the upper echelons of our ‘must see live’ list of artists. And even with just the customary opening act 35 minutes slot at his disposal, a musician of Adam Baldwin’s caliber can both entertain and leave you hungry for much, much more once that relatively short moment of stage time draws to a close.
“Good evening, Ottawa. My name is Adam Baldwin and I’m making my way from Three Fathom Harbour in Nova Scotia,” he offered once seated at his piano. “I’m here with Kendel Carson on the fiddle and Zach MacLean on the guitar, and I’m gonna take you out east for the next half hour or so.”
Launching immediately into “Causeway Road,” the lead track from his most recent “Concertos and Serenades” album (the album’s cover art proudly displayed behind the three musicians as a large stage backdrop), the trio would follow with another album cut – after which Adam made his first address to the room whilst transitioning from piano to acoustic guitar. “There’s a psychology in putting a set list together in under 31 minutes to make an impression, good or bad,” he offered. “I have learned that after almost 20 years of cris-crossing around here, I’ve learned there’s only one logical direction to go after you’ve played a song about a community radio station in the eastern passage of Nova Scotia and that’s straight into a song about cocaine psychosis.”
Having last caught up with Adam when he opened for Alan Doyle back in the spring of 2024, my only critique from that performance was of a missed opportunity to have Kendel accompany him during his performance of “Lighthouse in Little Lorraine” (Kendel played on the studio version, and ‘was’ in the building that night as part of Alan’s crew). With Kendel present this time around (and Zach’s guitar work), the song was elevated to a different level – but not before Adam shared this amusing anecdote with his audience.
“I’ll tell you about this thing. That’s the cover of my record. I wrote a song called Lighthouse in Little Lorraine and the song was adapted into a screenplay and turned into a film and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this year,” he commenced – pausing as the room offered their applause. “This town of Little Lorraine; when I wrote the song, I assumed there was a lighthouse there. It’s a small fishing community, and I figured they had a lighthouse. They do not!” Laughter filled the sold-out Southam Hall theatre. “It stands about eight feet tall, and since my album came out, there’s a picture of it with a green light that sits atop that has gone missing three times. I’ve been asking mature audiences across the country to stop stealing the light out of the beacon on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. It poses a very serious safety concern.”
Pausing once more for effect, Adam would connect both strands of his tale. “But with that said, a film crew from Los Angeles descended upon on the town of Little Lorraine … they arrived at the cliff face where this things stands, and when they were met by this eight foot tall structure that kinda looks like a robot that may pick up garbage when it gets dark…” Adam paused once again, before delivering his punchline. “…I got an angry phone call from the producer of the film who screamed, and I quote, ‘where the fuck is the lighthouse!?!’ The film should see its release in the theatres next year, but for now I will spoil the ending of the film and sing you this song that I made up.”
Mixing in a cut from his 2019 “No Rest for the Wicked” EP, and a pair of cuts from his debut 2013 self-titled EP, Adam would close the show with a rollicking version of “Love You with my Eyes Closed” – but not before offering his gratitude to the band who invited him along for this ride. “We have the remarkable privilege of taking the stage before my very favorite band – for the last month,” he shared. “I took my first guitar lesson when I was 15 years old and when asked what song I wanted to learn, I said I’d love to learn Bad Timing please, by Blue Rodeo’. And now I play the piano, of course, so the guitar lessons didn’t pan out, but the rest of it has been going okay. I can’t overstate how important this group of gentlemen have been in my life, and as part of my songs. It is the privilege of my life to be sitting on their stage, in front of their audience, with my buds, and I’m so proud to be here and I can’t thank you all enough for coming out early.”
And in closing out with style, Adam added extra vocal emphasis (a la Jim Cuddy’s “Try”) with his final note. “Jim taught me that just a few minutes ago,” he added in jest, as the trio earned their standing ovation and exited the stage. A thoroughly enjoyable 35 minutes of music from one of the best in the business – we really hope to cross paths with Adam again very soon.
Set List:
- Causeway Road
- The Voice of the Eastern Passage (Wayne’s Serenade)
- Dark Beside The Dawn
- Burning Man
- Lighthouse In Little Lorraine
- Love You With My Eyes Closed
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
