29 September - Vancouver
Despite the inauspicious start, Ottawa turned out to be a cracking gig, a small club with a sold out, mostly stand-up audience. I somehow got on to regaling them with tales from my goat-herding days, specifically details of how the billy goat makes itself sexually attractive to the nanny. I won’t go into it here, but the subject resurfaced during the second encore, turning the last verse of ‘Sexuality’ into something akin to the infamous Phill Jupitus version.
I was expecting Toronto to be a little more laid back, it being Sunday night and the venue an all-seated theatre. However, the audience were having none of it, calling for me before I’d even completed my pre-gig rituals back stage. The first thing I noticed was the broad mixture of the crowd, wiry grey-beards sitting along side eager teenagers. And they hollered and hooted throughout the show, cheering favourite lines in the love songs as well as the polemicals.
After the show, I sat on the stage chatting with the diehards until midnight. There was a small but well turned out cadre of high ranking saddoes from the Great Lakes Chapter who hung in there until the very end, braving the racoons foraging for the left-overs of my rider in the shadows as they exited through the dark alley beside the venue.
Winnipeg is special place, too far west to be part of the Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal cultural axis, yet not quite far enough to be considered a part of the true Canadian West. That seems to suit the people fine. Like their near neighbours in Minneapolis, they are neither east nor west, north nor south – they are different.
Winnipeg has a strong radical tradition, it being the site of both the Red River Rebellion and the 1919 General Strike. Thus the gig was packed with Wobblies and eco-warriors and even a few old timers calling for the Internationale. The audience were in a good mood and stood very close to the stage. As a result we had a very warm rapport, which allowed me to relax onstage a little for the first time on this tour. Geoff Berner, Canadian solo accordion-playing klezmer geezer, joined the tour here, Seth Lakeman having been recalled to England by his record company for promo duty. The house monitor man told us it had been a real contrast to the night before, when the venue had been host to Underoath – a hard-core, speed metal, Christian punk band.
Walking the dozen or so blocks to the venue in Calgary, I had to keep reminding myself that I was still in Canada. This cow-town is undergoing a massive boom at the moment, due to the oil business in Alberta. Tall glass buildings have shot up since I was last here and in the bright Autumn sunshine, the place looks so much like Dallas or Houston it’s disorienting. It doesn’t help that I passed what the locals refer to as a ‘titty-bar’ called ‘Cowboys’, which was advertising a forthcoming appearance by David Lee-Roth.
By contrast, your humble servant was playing in a sacred place, the Knox Union Church on 4th St., once the tallest landmark in turn of the century Calgary, now utterly dwarfed by the intimidating architecture of the petro-dollar. Gigs in churches are always special, but they can sometimes be intimidating for both performer and audience. I am pleased to see that Geoff Berner hasn’t allowed the setting to get to him. As I arrive, he is introducing his ‘signature tune’, a song called ‘I’m a Lucky God-Damned Jew’. I doubt Underoath ever did anything so darkly, deliciously, mischievous.
8 Responses to “29 September - Vancouver”
By Sara on Sep 29, 2006
I was quite pleased to be one of the diehards chatting with you until midnight. It was an amazing night.
By wondercat on Sep 30, 2006
Great to see Geoff Berner once again. The accordian never sounded so sexy and sacred in that church setting in calgary.
Special thanks to BB for sticking around after the gig in Calgary to chat. (and thanks for ending the gig before midnight so i could drive back home at a decent hour.)
Please decide to come to Edmonton, we miss you up here.
By radiotuna on Oct 1, 2006
Thanks Bill for a memorable night at the Commodore. It was a fantastic solo gig by you. Thanks for the photos after the show. And a big Thanks for being cool when I spilled your beer all over the stage.
By dstone88 on Oct 1, 2006
BB was great as always in Calgary, lots of new material. Sadly the audience must have been awed by the church venue as, well, it was a little subdued. One encore and the crowd streamed for the exits. Maybe they all lived in Edmonton with wondercat and had to drive back. Somehow I blame Ralph Klein.
By cdauncey on Oct 2, 2006
I do “apologize” wholeheartedly for the subdued audience here in my home town of Calgary. Most people here also do not like to have it be referred to as COWTOWN…it is more than slightly embarassing.
I was one of those few in the audience, however, who was hooting, hollering and even standing for a second encore. Billy Bragg is one of my ultimate idols, and the whole night in fact was surreal; being able to see him has made my lifetime! I first heard of Billy and his music when, 14 years ago my boyfriend (who had been a fan of Billy since the late 70’s/early 80’s) played me his electrifying songs and lyrics. I was hooked, and have been ever since! It was superb acoustics in the church and to hear Billy in that intimate setting is one special moment in time my boyfriend and I shall never forget. AND to make things even more special, he took the time to sign his double CD we bought and to hear my IN AWE stammerings about how he has changed our lives for the better AND he gave me a hug! He has given ME a new lease and purpose in my life, of which I vow to create change right here in my own city. (Most native Calgarians are actually moving away from here and giving up right now due to the boom causing more than alot of major problems). I am not a quitter though.CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH BILLY! WE LOVE YA! XOXO
By raz on Oct 4, 2006
Sounds wonderful. I’m only sorry I’m going to miss the show in San Francisco on Thursday - my husband Nick is going, but we live apart right now whilst waiting for a visa to reunite us (/sniff!) and I will have to settle for listening to the albums at home in London. If you are reading this Billy I would greatly appreciate you including Brickbat in the setlist (2nd show) - it is a really special song for us as we danced to it at our wedding. Wish I could be there to see you play it live, I know I’d be blown away. Thanks for the songs, keep on keeping on
Rachel. xx
By wiggy on Oct 5, 2006
Cheers, Billy, for a great night out on the 29th in Van City. Geoff was a great opener and definitely had the crowd well warmed up. My wife and I brought a couple of virgins to your show and left fully serviced (har!). Your comments about cynicism being the true enemy is well taken to heart. The vibe from Life’s A Riot medley created a real buzz.
Thanks for taking some time with us out in the dank alley-way behind the Commodore. Getting a chance to reminisce about the first Echo gig in Mtl in ‘84 and a good laff about ticket prices at the time (p.s. thx for all the a’graphs… but the t-shirt?? Now I can’t wear it anymore cuz some geezer’s name is all over the front of it!!) You’re still my boyhood hero - HAR!
Props to my family for a great b-day present.
Any more Cdn blogs?
By voxpop on Oct 10, 2006
This blog reminds me of everything I love about Steinbeck’s “Travels With Charley.” In particular, I found your description poignant of the feeling of disorientation one experiences upon being away from a region for a time and returning to find a growth of structures and population. It vividly reflects Steinbeck’s voice. So does your articulation of a region’s history. I really appreciate this degree of awareness and sensitivity.