The Vogue Theatre on Friday night proved a great choice for a Matthew Good concert, based on it’s modest size. I certainly don’t say this because Matthew Good doesn’t have enough fans to fill a larger establishment; I know that there are plenty more out there just as enthusiastic as the merry bunch that filled the theatre on this particular night. I just have a hard time believing that the show would have been nearly as special without the close quarters and cozy balcony, both conducive of a envious intimacy with the artist which would be lacking in the anonymity of a larger venue. Although Matthew Good isn’t exactly a natural and seamless commentary between songs, his blunt and somewhat gruff quips can be as endearing as they are amusing. And there is always that neat little feeling of exclusivity when everyone in the room can hear that random in the crowd, who in their drunk or egotism, shout out as loudly as they can and then are lucky enough to be personally reciprocated with a typical smirk and return remark that we can all hear. The overall buoyant and cheerful atmosphere circulating throughout the Vogue-sized sea of faces that night was hard not to catch; must be the combination of the holiday season, Friday night bevies and the anticipation and follow through of an evening of rock music by an musician who has inspired and intrigued Canadians since the mid 90′s.
Since the end of the original Matthew Good Band in 2002, Good has been subject to an ever evolving personal journey from which he has continually come triumphantly forward from his lows with sincere and poignant lyrics and a beautiful guitar. His haunting vocals maintain the same sweetly defiant note he has always projected, the voice that his fans in Vancouver fell in love with way back when and again and again every time he has released each of his seven solo albums since. Tonight he opened up the show for us with “While We Were Hunting Rabbits” from the album Avalanche and took us through a satisfying sampler platter of his solo work with songs like “Last Parade” from Vancouver, “Born Losers” of Hospital Music and “Shallow’s Low” and “Set Me On Fire” off his most recent 2011′s Lights of Endangered Species, before changing gears and reliving the MGB tracks where it all started.
I got a good chuckle out the fans this evening, and a diverse fan base it was as well. Despite the fact that is was a night of assigned seating at the Vogue, everyone was on their feet from the get go, and most people admitted they had not a clue where their actual seats were. Ignoring our own seats up in the balcony, we did some migrating ourselves, partially because my glasses have been missing for months and also because, well, we are just opportunists like that. My own personal honourable mention goes to the dude in front of me in the (ahem) Boston Bruins Thornton jersey who I wanted to hate on for obvious reasons, but who won me over with his passionate air guitar, leaning against the wall and looking rather like he was sinking into an absolute euphoric bliss as he mouthed each and every word along with Good and the boys. Endlessly amusing as well were the girls who were a few rows in front of Bruins Dude that were holding hands, singing at the top of their little lungs and practically acting out each song as if they were the ones in the Vogue Theatre spotlight. Ah, yes, no show would be complete without you the fans!
Matthew Good had his own honourable mentions for his fans on the night: He gave a special shout out to an Aussie couple whom he had crossed paths with in Vancouver earlier and who evidently had confessed to having his song lyrics tattooed on her back. So just for them, he had the lights turned up so he could get their location in the crowd and said pleased, “I told you I’d play the song!” Simply put, it was probably a dream come true for the tattooed girl in question; I bet the Aussie just loves Vancouver now, and not just for it’s proximity to Whistler! Good’s personal shout outs did not stop there, as he acknowledged with unmistakable love, his 5 year old daughter in the crowd. Good proudly professed to us that she was a brilliant little help on the track “Shallow’s Low” where she had unexpectedly changed the original flow of song to what it is now after intruding on him while at work. She contributed some vocals of her very own on the track, perhaps we have a little star in the making!
As stated previously, the later half of the night’s set would be predominantly Matthew Good Band singles like “The Future is X-rated”, “Load Me Up” and “Apparition” which, as could be expected, was the peak for the energy in the room and on the night. For some fans, there may be favouritism to his original MGB music which brought him so quickly to fame across Canada in the 90s. But just the nature of the early music itself back then was undoubtedly more spirited and edgy, while with the solo career years there has been a low key maturity to the subsequent reflection and sound of his music. During the exciting encore which included my own favourites “Hello Time Bomb” and “Alert Status Red” and where the stage became lit up like one of the Christmas carol ships, we spotted his young daughter dancing happily in the centre aisle, arms in the air. Her VIP tag was swinging around her neck as she jubilantly celebrated an end to a terrific night of her father’s music, in his own hometown, and with his ever faithful fans. It was a pretty special sight to see and I don’t think there is any image in my head that could to sum up the entire show better than that.
Review by: Lauren Dallas / Photos by: Michael Caswell
SCENE IN THE DARK EXCLUSIVE SHOW CONTENT
CHECK OUT OUR MATTHEW GOOD PHOTO GALLERY HERE
