There are not many artists who can act as their own opening band, but prominent Canadian folk-rocker Joel Plaskett is not “most artists”. This August, Plaskett brought his high-energy show to the picturesque Grand Theatre in London, Ontario. Armed with just an acoustic guitar, he played a solo set to warm the audience up for the main show, a full-band performance with The Emergency (drummer Dave Marsh and bassist Tim Brennan), his backing band since his 2001 LP Down at the Khyber.
Plaskett drew from his rich back catalogue of songs, presenting a fascinating view for audiences of one of Canada’s most enduring musicians. His latest release, a collection of B-sides and rarities titled EMERGENCYs, false alarms, shipwrecks, castaways, fragile creatures, special features, demons and demonstrations displays Plaskett’s knack for melody and song writing--even his cast-offs are fantastic! A perfect example of this is “On the Rail”, a song commissioned by the CBC about the Cabot Trail in Plaskett’s native Nova Scotia. At the show sung with minimal accompaniment, the nostalgia, longing and love of adventure expressed in the song were even more striking live.
After his two-hour set, Plaskett still managed to leave the audience wanting more. His ability to add new sonic elements and to shift lyrics make each performance unique. For instance, he changed the lyrics of “Face of the Earth” to “I saw it with my own two blue eyes, like London, Ontario’s blue skies”. His skill as an entertainer clearly shows with moves like this, as well as his frequent hilarious anecdotes. After the show, he spent at least forty minutes in the lobby of the theatre, saying hello and chatting with a number of excited fans.
Joel Plaskett is a talented song writer and engaging performer with a distinct sense of humour. He ended his show with an excerpt from “Wishful Thinking”, a song from his triple-album Three: “CDs for sale at the back of the hall, buy one, buy ‘em all, couple bucks cheaper than they are at the mall. Thank you, good night, we’ll be back in the fall!”
Written by Elena Gritzan
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