As another year winds to a close, it’s always fun to look back at the GDW concert-going adventures over the last twelve months to recall some of the memorable live music moments we experienced. As undertaken in previous years, we are not compiling a ‘Top 10’ list, but simply listing our choices in chronological order by date (and for the curious, each of these clips can all be found on our YouTube page).
Elliott BROOD, “Rose City” (St. Catharines/February)
We set ourselves a goal to reconnect with many of our favorite live bands in this post-lockdown era – many missed greatly during those years of travel bans and social distancing. It may have taken a while, but a date with this ON trio remained a priority, and with their most convenient tour stop being ‘only 300 miles away’ (and in late February – showtime or ‘snow-time’?), temptation overruled winter travel excuses. I’m not gonna lie – any Elliott BROOD tune could be on this list, but ultimately with this being our first experience hearing “Rose City” performed live from their 2023 “Town” album, this ‘fresh but vintage EB’ tune that featured vocals from all three band members left a long-lasting impression.
Dizzy & Fay, “Walk Me Home” (Burlington/February)
Having followed the career of this fabulous contemporary jazz duo since their arrival on the scene in 2020 (and longer still for co-founder Amanda Walther ~ Fay ~ one half of folk duo DALA), when an opportunity arose to finally catch a live set from Mark Lalama (Dizzy) and Amanda, we jumped at it (and heck, it was fun to show up unannounced and surprise Amanda as she was setting up her merch table). If, like me, you remain captivated by the pure romanticism and poetic flair that is “Walk Me Home,” you’ll understand how easily this performance became a lock for this list. Both Fay’s gorgeous vocals and Dizzy’s sentimental piano strokes push this tune into ‘modern day timeless classic’ territory.
Allison Russell, “Eve Was Black” (Ottawa/March)
Previously making this list back in 2022, Allison’s perfectly timed tour stop in Ottawa coincided with our vacation plans, making it an easy decision to purchase tickets and do it all over again. With a strong emphasis on her 2023 “The Returner” album, it would be the powerful, goosebump rendering delivery of her GRAMMY Award winning tune “Eve Was Black” that had every set of eyes and ears fully focused on the stage. This combination of potent lyrics and message, tied to Allison’s extended banjo-jam, and the gradual slowing down of the tempo to a close (with all five artists on stage simultaneously dropping to their knees) was sheer perfection.
Lisa LeBlanc, “Pourquoi faire aujourd’hui” (Ottawa/March)
When Lisa LeBlanc announced in June 2023 that the four remaining dates of her “Chiac Disco” tour would be accompanied by a full symphony orchestra, we scrambled to see when and where, and with the finale scheduled at the NAC in Ottawa, snagged our tickets immediately. Catching up with Lisa last December here in the US, we marveled at how this music migrated to the stage, trying to comprehend how different it would be with the classical elements added. Welcomed to the Southam Hall stage in Ottawa, Lisa (and full band) and the NAC symphony orchestra elevated this show beyond belief – and once this popular single burst into life, not a single person in the audience around us remained seated.
Adam Baldwin, “Lighthouse in Little Lorraine” (Vienna/April)
If you consider it somewhat inappropriate to hear that tickets were purchased for a show based on the strength of the opening act over that of the headliner, you may want to skip this paragraph. While we always enjoy Alan Doyle’s highly energetic live shows, we sat on the fence for a while when seeing some local tour dates this past spring. Once Alan added GDW fave Adam Baldwin to the bill, suddenly we scrambled to grab a pair of the few remaining seats. Performing my favorite cut from Adam’s 2022 “Concertos & Serenades” album – and without the studio elements – this vocal and grand piano combination led to a completely different and emotionally charged version.
The Stephen Stanley Band, “Straw Man” (Hamilton/May)
Just like the names Elliott BROOD and Adam Baldwin mentioned above, Toronto rock-troubadour Stephen Stanley was another found in the upper tier of our post-lockdown concert artist wish-list – so the discovery of a matinee show in Hamilton over a US holiday weekend was timed to perfection. Stephen’s 2023 “Before the Collapse of the Hive” album impressed enough to make the GDW Top 20 album list for that year, and if one tune stood out from the pack, it was “Straw Man.” The album version, complete with Kate Fenner’s co-vocals, is tough to top – but hearing Stephen perform this live (sans Fenner) was just something else. Intimate? Eerie? Amazing? Check all three boxes for me!
Marie-Annick Lépine, “Loulou vs Loulou” (Montréal/June)
Popular Québecois trad-folk rockers Les Cowboys Fringants have long remained a band that we hoped to catch live in concert, but with the untimely and unfortunate passing of lead vocalist Karl Tremblay in late 2023, sensed that such an opportunity had sadly passed too. Circling a performance from Karl’s partner and bandmate Marie-Annick Lépine as a ‘must-see’ event during Francos de Montréal, while expecting plenty of her solo works, we never anticipated witnessing some ‘Cowboys’ tunes. Joined by founding bandmate Jean-François Pauzé for a handful of songs, it was this rousing and emotional performance of “Loulou vs Loulou” that brought on palpitations and the fighting back of tears. Sensory Overload!!!
Le Roy, la Rose et le Lou[p], “Les amants de Pompéi” (Montréal/June)
There is absolutely nothing stated in the GDW rulebook about the inclusion of both a particular artist and a particular song being singled out more than once for these recaps – and yes, the trio of Ariane Roy, Thierry Larose, and Lou-Adriane Cassidy closed out this feature last year with this rousing anthem. If you are seeking our reasoning for inclusion once again, well, that’s easy: we knew what to expect, but not the unforeseen emotional toll from the 2300-person MTELUS choir, the band’s unrelenting energy, and the sheer exhilaration that this (sadly) short-lived trio provide. We are so glad that we made the effort to see this trio in person, and Thierry’s encore number shall remain an anthem for life.
Alex Burger, “Ça finit toujours” (Montréal/June)
As part of the 2024 Francos de Montréal lineup – and having heard a pair of tunes earlier this year on the SiriusXM Racines Musicales radio channel – we were more than a little curious about checking out the performance from Alex Burger on a glorious Sunday evening in the city. Based on the radio tunes, we expected some simple country-Americana fare, and were not disappointed as Alex commenced his set. Just ten minutes in, however, and there was a cosmic shift emanating from the stage – as Alex and his band delivered this laid-back tune that quickly morphed into a country-meets-psychedelic rock treat with enough bonus flute action to make any Jethro Tull fan stand to attention.
Bob Sumner, “Ticket To Ride” (Hamilton/November)
Our final memorable moment comes courtesy of BC-based singer-songwriter Bob Sumner, an ‘unknown-to-us’ artist who was the opening act for a show at Mills Hardware. Sharing a tale about growing up in an affluent suburb of Vancouver, Bob recalled encountering what appeared to be a homeless couple buying a lottery ticket at a gas station in the dead of winter – and that the attendant refused to allow them to remain inside where it was warm while waiting for the numbers to come up. “And he was outside looking in through the window, looking at the screen [and] mumbling to himself, ‘you never know, you never know; and the desperation shook me to the core, and this song just came out of that.”
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.
