Nobody's Business

On Wednesday, I went to Massey Hall for another installment of Live At Massey Hall. Opener Chad VanGaalen meandered onto the stage with Julie Fader. With his baseball cap and messy hair, it was unsurprising that he wanted to call the audience as "bros". This laid-back attitude showed its charm when he accompanied himself (with some flute, piano, and vocals from Fader) on bass drum and snare. He even attached a stick to his guitar so that he could bang on a cymbal, too. But the nasty side also came out with some homophobic/sexist comments. So despite plaintive songs dedicated to his daughters or about re-connecting with aged parents, this bro needs to do some introspection and self-examination (and a better rhyming dictionary).

Upon the first few feedback-drenched chords from The Constantines, the main floor of Massey Hall leapt to their feet and stayed here. This on-again/off-again band rewarded the faithful with non-stop rock from Young Offenders, Shine A Light to Time Can Be Overcome. Singer Bry Webb didn't waste much time talking. In fact, he essentially spoke twice. Once to say thank you for playing at this historic venue and once to wryly note: "Hmm, it must be ballad time".