Room Enough

On Saturday, I went to an early show at the Dakota Tavern. The opening act was James Black (Finger Eleven). As he admitted, he was (and still is) space-obsessed. So his solo material drew on a lot of cosmological metaphors whether it was a doomed relationship between the sun and the moon (Moon's Dark Ways) or the weight of life's problems (Gravity). Normally a lead guitarist, he added a good punch of rhythm and riffs to his acoustic set. Given the sci-fi vibe, Black did a cover of the late 60s tune In The Year 2525 (Zager and Evans).

After a brief break, enormously bearded Ben Caplan bounded on stage. He has been selling out shows in Toronto and tonight was no different even if it was a last-minute booking. It was easy to see why: Caplan was engaging, quick witted, and full of stories. He endeared himself to the Eastern European contingent with a story about passing out on stage in Poland after one too many vodka shots. A Caplan audience is usually diverse, and tonight was even more so. There were hipsters in plaid, loud East Coasters, hot mamas, pierced dudes in Iron Maiden tees, and even a bridal group. All were more than willing to sing along at the top of their voice. This went great for songs like Conduit and Stranger. It also got annoying when some wouldn't zip it for quieter numbers like Seed of Love and Beautiful. Why go to a concert to only hear yourself sing? Caplan also showcased some new tunes including Belly Of The Worm and Under Control. It was a high-energy, raucous set perfectly suited for this subterranean venue.