Head Tale

The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band. – Brian Eno

Growing up and living most of my life on the bald Saskatchewan prairie, my opportunities to see certified rock legends have been extremely limited.

Luckily, in June 2000, I was in Toronto for a publishing conference and got to see Lou Reed at the Hummingbird Center in what may have been the biggest name concert I’d seen in my life to that time (er, not counting Billy Ray Cyrus at Craven Country Jamboree of course!)

Lou Reed, whose early influence on music is summed up by the quote at the top of this post, had along with guys like Bob Dylan and Neil Young, become an elder statesman of rock at the time of his passing.  

Thinking about that Lou Reed concert after hearing he passed away today, I’d have to admit that it wasn’t even in my Top 5 concerts of all-time (a reviewer at the time agreed in a lot harsher fashion calling Reed “stiff”.)   But hey, I got hear “Sweet Jane”, “Perfect Day” and a couple other great Lou Reed tunes in person and, as with any concert, create some amazing memories (who sneaks airplane sized bottles of Grand Marnier into a concert?  Publishers do, that’s who!)  

So if Lou Reed, doesn’t make my Top 5 Concerts list, who does?

1. Paul McCartney – Mosaic Stadium (Regina, SK)
Sometimes being on the bald Saskatchewan prairie, you *do* still get the chance to see legends of rock.  I’ve missed a few of the other big stadium shows that have come through in the past few years – Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Bon Jovi – but there was no way that I’d miss a chance to see a Beatle.  And as a friend commented, after the show “Paul McCartney was unbelievable! Its almost sad because now I must go the rest of my life knowing I will never see a better concert.”  So amazingly, unbelievably, life-changingly good.

2. Hawksley Workman – Jane Bond Cafe (Waterloo, ON)
Until this summer, a show that was the complete opposite of McCartney’s stadium show – intimate, spontaneous, featuring someone completely unknown to me at the time – was the concert I’d have called my favourite of all-time.  And coincidentally, it has a strong Lou Reed connection.  It actually occurred the night after the Lou Reed show and one of the arguments a publishing colleague used to convince me to rent a car and risk life & limb driving on the 401 for the first time to go to Waterloo to see it was that it would be like seeing a young Lou Reed when the Velvet Underground was just starting out.  She was true to her word and that concert plus everything leading up to it and everything following it – created another incredible experience.

3. Corb Lund & The Hurtin’ Albertans – Bowness Community Hall (Calgary, AB)
I’m not sure if he still does it but Alberta alt-country singer, Corb Lund, used to do a “Merry Xxxmas” tour where he’d hit a bunch of small towns around southern Alberta and Saskatchewan in early December culminating with a show in Calgary just a few days before Christmas.

Shea and I ended up going with a few Fredheads (Fred Eaglesmith fans for those not in the know) including a guy called “Beer Doug” who was a brewmaster for Sleeman’s (he gave us a keg of Sleeman’s Honey Brown for our wedding – definitely the kind of friend you want to have in your life!)  

As with the Hawksley Workman show listed at #2, it was the entire experience pre- and post-show that makes this concert even more memorable than it might otherwise be.  Beer Doug lived close to the venue so we went to his house early for free beer and guitar picking (others, not me!)  His front room was full of musical instruments and just had a great vibe.  When we got to the show, even though we were in the middle of Calgary, it felt like we were back in a small town hall – a bar selling Molson Canadian and Coors Light plus shots of hard stuff pre-poured in disposable cups (when Corb sang “It’s time to switch to whiskey/We’ve been drinking beer all night!” halfway through the show, that’s what we did!), long tables with plastic tablecloths and hard wooden chairs, lots of trucks in the parking lot.  The show itself was awesome fun – the hilarious Washboard Hank opened the show, Corb Lund had Ian Tyson walk on as a guest halfway through the show for a couple songs (not even as an encore!) and then, for the actual encore, Corb, joined by Washboard Hank, played some of his biggest hits plus covers of Johnny Cash, Stompin’ Tom and more.  Maybe the most fun I’ve ever had at a concert!

4. Dolly Parton – Craven Big Valley Jamboree (Craven, SK)
I’ve only attended the annual Saskatchewan bacchanal, the Craven Country Jamboree, a couple times in my life.  And yes, one of those years it was indeed headlined by Billy Ray Cyrus as mentioned above.  But honestly, the the main person we were going to see that year was Dwight Yoakham.  Unfortunately, he was monosyllabic (possibly drunk?) and a bit of a disappointment even if I enjoyed the songs he sang.  The true revelation was the person who preceded him on stage – Dolly Parton, who at the time, I saw almost as a comedy artist with the wigs, the twangy accent and of course the big boobs.  She was all of that but as I watched her show, I realised that was all secondary to the fact that she was a consummate entertainer – engaging stories that alternated with humour and sadness, amazing talent as a musician and of course, an unbelievable voice.  I’ve already identified her show as one that would be in my Top Five in a previous post where I tried to list all the concerts I’ve seen in my life.  She retains that position to this day.

5. Sam Baker – Fred Eaglesmith Charity Picnic (Alymer, ON)
Sometimes the toughest spot to fill in any list isn’t the top one but instead, the final one.  There have been lots of shows in my life that have been memorable for one reason or another – from catching Coldplay just as they were graduating to arena shows to various Tragically Hip shows across western Canada to seeing longtime personal favourites, Cake at the Calgary Blues & Roots Festival to Wilco in London Ontario when I was in library school to any of the dozens of bands at the various festivals I’ve attended over the years that have stood out for one reason or another when I’d never heard of them before.

That’s the kind of artist I’m going to give the fifth spot on this list to.  And in all honesty, this was a concert I wasn’t paying that much attention to although maybe I should’ve been.

When Shea and I were in London while I was doing my Masters, we were able to attend and camp at the annual Fred Eaglesmith Charity Picnic near Alymer Ontario.  We were surprised on arrival to find our friend, Beer Doug, had flown out from Calgary to surprise the various Ontario-based Fredheads he knew.  We were talking about the line-up with him and he said “Sam Baker is great.  Easily the best CD I’ve bought in the last year!”  (Beer Doug was a major music fan so when he says something like this, you should pay attention.)

But when Sam Baker took the stage to headline on Saturday night, we were tired after a long day.  (We’d skipped out on some of the daytime acts to make a quick run to Chatham for a funeral of a distant relative of Shea’s that we’d gone to visit earlier in the year at his nursing home.  I suspect we were also still suffering from a Friday night reunion with Beer Doug!) 😉   So we sort of half-watched Sam’s show, moving from our spot near the front of the stage to near the very back of the venue when he came on then wandering around the festival site, visiting with friends, having a drink, and so on.

He had some nice songs but what stood out even more was how engaging he was with his stories – full of honesty and candor and insight. As with so many of the others concerts on this list, the experience was made more memorable by the stuff surrounding it, especially when we ended up in the tent reserved for performers after the show (thanks Beer Doug!) and got to listen in as Sam held court, trading wit and guitars, with the others in the room.

As I said, I should’ve paid more attention.  Sam’s now become of of my favourite artists of all-time and whenever I listen to his music, it always briefly takes me back to a very memorable weekend in a nature conservatory in southwest Ontario (and bringing it full circle, Sam even makes a reference to Paul McCartney in his intro to the song in this last link!) 😉