PATTI SMITH AND HER BAND at Massey Hall, Friday, September 6. Rating: NNNN
There is the expectation of greatness at a Patti Smith show, the palpable sense that even as the long-tressed, dark-dressed singer recites poetry about the dead and delivers another monotone one-chord dirge, the night will soon burst open, trembling with Big Message and big emotion.
Over two-plus hours, Smith’s set slunk toward the payoff. She thundered during the songs, frequently spitting on Massey Hall’s sacred stage, and was sweet-as-pie cordial in between. She and long-time guitarist Lenny Kaye caught Jim Jarmusch’s film at TIFF the previous night, she said before introing My Blakean Year with a comical ode to Nicole Kidman.
Kaye, also the legendary Nuggets anthologist, gave mid-set shoutouts to 1953’s Jazz At Massey Hall album, the Paupers and Luke & the Apostles before launching into some deep-cut garage rock, while Smith danced in the crowd. We got Banga offerings and songs left off the list when she was here earlier this year.
And then there we were, drowning in the ecstatic power of Because The Night, Pissing In A River, Rock N Roll Nigger, Gloria and her passionate cries against invading Syria.
“You are fucking free!” she shouted. “This is no movie! This is your life!”
Carla Gillis
OHBIJOU at the Great Hall, Saturday, September 7. Rating: NNNNN
Onstage in the beautifully ornate Great Hall (just west of Bathurst), Casey Mecija softly cooed in her signature warbling voice, “I took the bus down Bathurst Street….” It’s the opening line of Black Ice, a song that’s as much a Toronto tribute as it is a heartbreaking love poem. In so many ways, it represents what Ohbijou’s farewell show meant to their fans and friends.
Their final show before an indefinite hiatus spanned four hours and three sets. Ohbijou played nearly everything from their eight-year discography and were joined onstage by Snowblink, Nils Edenloff of Rural Alberta Advantage, Rolf Klausener from the Acorn and Gavin Gardiner from the Wooden Sky.
Between sets, their friends performed their favourite Ohbijou tunes, and when she introduced the last song, Mecija screamed, “Let’s make this feel like a house party!” Their fame has propelled them beyond a basement band, and yet, with Mecija shredding guitar surrounded by her friends, it felt like a party back on Bellwoods Avenue.
Samantha Edwards
MICHAEL BOLTON, RUFUS WAINWRIGHT AND DANIEL LANOIS at a private Forest Hill residence, Sunday, September 8. Rating: NNNN
How many times in a lifetime do you get to lounge in the sunshine in a lush backyard and watch Michael Bolton serenade two auction winners with his 1991 version of When A Man Loves A Woman? Exactly once. Such was the scene at Paul Haggis’s fifth annual Artists For Peace And Justice Fundraiser for youth in Haiti. Bolton can poke fun at himself (see Jack Sparrow) but also takes his art very seriously, pouring every drop of earnest emotion into that Grammy-winning hit. Ending the afternoon with Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma was interesting (I would have preferred How Am I Supposed To Live Without You), but the two earlier acts more than compensated.
Anyone who’s seen a Daniel Lanois performance knows the serene effect the prolific producer has. Now I’m convinced that pedal steel guitar should always be heard wafting over a body (or swimming pool) of water. The resulting blissful reverb was trance-inducing, until our adopted Torontonian songwriter Rufus Wainwright woke us from that reverie with a perky rendition of Out Of The Game.
On a day when charity was the main focus, it’s impressive how well APJ curated the lineup. Creating the right vibe for a crowd is tricky, but they did that on Sunday with excellent care.
Julia LeConte
TYLER, THE CREATOR at Sound Academy, Sunday, September 8. Rating: NNN
When Tyler, the Creator took the Sound Academy stage, he used his time wisely, shifting seamlessly through material from the four years since he exploded, reminding us that an artist exists behind his loud persona, caps lock Twitter rampages and sometimes unrepeatable lyrics.
He balanced his material well, performing something for everyone in the wide-ranging, all-ages crowd. While lyrics from his most recent studio album, Wolf, were screamed back at him, VCR – from self-released debut Bastard – was met with surprise and delight. The summery sweet Bimmer was a highlight, as was IFHY.
Performing with Odd Future member Jasper Dolphin as hype man and backed by DJ Taco Bennett, Tyler allowed his supporting cast to shine – Bennett with a solid opening DJ set, Jasper with his verse from Odd Future track Oldie. From grabbing a fan’s phone and posting a Tyler selfie to Instagram to racing offstage to change into a pair of shorts, Tyler maintained the trademark feel of an Odd Future/Tyler show: anything goes.
Holly MacKenzie
