Festivus Miracle

On Thursday, I got off at the Lyon LRT station and walked to The Bronson Centre. This neighbourhood reminded me of the likely fate of Sherbourne St. in Toronto: a few turn-of-the-century buildings surrounded by tall complexes, some decades-old and now looking a bit run-down and others new shiny 21st century constructions. Which would make The Bronson the equivalent of The Phoenix. But it turned out to be a smaller Danforth Music Hall.

This used to be a Catholic high school until it became a community centre for non-profit businesses and the auditorium was turned into a concert venue. When I first walked through the doors, things did not look auspicious. As far as I could tell, there were 2 single-unit washrooms for several hundred people. But once inside the main space, I was impressed by a great sound system including line array speakers and a large stage. It was actually better than The Danforth by having front fill speakers and the soundboard positioned at the halfway point. I hadn't heard such clear and balanced vocals, especially from a larger venue, in a while. But this improvement was actually a recent pre-pandemic renovation.

I was here to see Dwayne Gretzky, the cover band supergroup. As much as I enjoyed their New Year's Eve and 99-songs livestream,  in-person music hit a different sweet spot. They book-ended their set with Fleetwood Mac's Don't Stop and The Chain. In between they covered the 70s (Waterloo), 80s (Video Killed The Radio Star), and 90s (Walking On Broken Glass). The mostly middle-aged crowd loved all these classics but I prefer when Dwayne include more non-Dad Rock numbers. I had an early morning trip so I couldn't stay to see if they did songs newer than 1995 in their 2nd set.

All the members are consummate musicians which is why they haven't transitioned into tired bar band. But I thought Lydia Persaud had the best presence tonight. She commanded the stage when she sang lead vocals. I suspect this magnetic quality was due to the fact that unlike her buddies in Dwayne, she still performs in numerous non-Dwayne shows as background harmony but also singing her own music (including opening for Martha Wainwright a few days prior).

It took Dwayne Gretzky almost 10 years after their inception before they finally played in Ottawa in 2019. It was a good crowd tonight but not at full capacity. They did experience a Dwayne's first: some Christmas songs were added to this "Holiday" show. Ottawans need to up their participation. After all, this band is gearing up to play at History, the new 2500-capacity venue, on New Year's Eve.