Out of Season

The monthly Arts & Music series Long Winter is turning into a Toronto tradition along the lines of Jason Collett's Basement Revenue or The Wooden Sky's Christmas show. Though it's been diminishing returns for me, I decided to give it another go this year. So on an unseasonably warm Friday evening, I dropped by The Great Hall.

The security has gotten more zealous. There are full pat-downs now, something I rarely encounter at any other shows. The musical performances were also sparsely attended; and almost nobody even bothers with the art exhibit and other artists. Each of the 4 different rooms was maybe 25-30% full. Of those, most were talking in the back instead of paying attention.

Opener Sasha Chapin had to explicitly ask people to come closer to the stage for his acoustic set. Then it was down to the Blackbox Theatre to watch Vish Khanna interview writer/journalist Desmond Cole for Long Night. The predominantly white audience was definitely uncomfortable with his statements about systemic racism in Canada.

The highlight of the evening was Hataw, a group of filipino dancers who combined traditional dances with modern choreography and music. From fan-waving, to jumping between bamboo poles, to their own variation of "sexy club beats", it was quite enjoyable to watch. Elaquent spun and sampled urban music for an hour. Then model/singer Mieke came on for an intimate set of confessional pop tunes.

As I was leaving, I realized that security may be not just zealous but over-the-top. How to explain the hundred or so waiting outside when the venue was mostly empty?