Three Of Hearts

Friday morning, I found the east-side trail. Just before Eglinton crossed over the Humber river, there was a path leading down. But instead of doubling back underneath the bridge, which I found out last time led to a golf course, the other branch led to a trail that ran alongside the river. It wasn't the official recreational path since it was unpaved. But it was more secluded since it wasn't next to a major road. The trail ended at Emmett Falls but I exited early at Portage Gardens Park. Just before then, there was a tiny, hidden path that led to a large, building-sized white tent, a few smaller camping ones, and a vegetable garden surrounded by woods. Since it was early morning, there was no one awake and I didn't approach too closely. Odd urban farming initiative or ambitious homeless encampment? The streets around Portage Gardens leading back to Weston Road were a slice of suburbia dropped directly into Toronto.

In the evening, I headed off to Massey Hall for a show. Since its renovation, the seats on the main floor can be retracted a la Paradise Theatre. This allowed for standing general admission which would be more exciting for some shows. Normally, I would be down there among the crowd. But tonight I had tickets in the upper Gallery. I wanted to see my seat dedication. These tributes were mounted on the back and given how tight the rows are, no casual attendee was going to hunker down to read them in the dim light (and perhaps not even aware they were there). No matter. If the next renovation is in another 100 years, this small memento of my family will be here long after we are gone.

The Wild Hearts tour had 3 singer-songwriters with good-size followings: Julien Baker, Angel Olsen, and Sharon Van Etten. But despite the official sold-out status, there were still plenty of seats available. Maybe they should have consolidated the two shows in Toronto.

Each artist had a different approach to lyrics. Baker was both raw and wistful, Olsen had simple verses with a country accent, and Etten has left behind her Sheryl Crow-esque phase (she did play Every Time The Sun Comes Up but up-tempo) for something that was more glam with an underlying current of rage. But they also shared a common trait: their songs often swerve into muscular, propulsive rock. Not unexpected for Etten, but it was a surprise for me listening to Baker and Olsen for the first time. They also shared the stage for brief periods. Baker and some of her band members helped Olsen out for a few songs since some of hers were laid up with Covid. And the latter came on during Etten's encore to duet their ode-to-self single Like I Used To.

It wasn't the only song that looked back in time. Etten closed her set with her hit Seventeen ("I used to be free/I used to be seventeen"). It might just be a fun sing-along for the youngsters down on the floor. But for the old folks sitting in the upper levels, it landed a little differently.

19/08/2022: On my run today, I went through the encampment. It looked like an Indigenous meeting place. The large tent was a wigwam constructed from a white tarp over a latticed wood frame. Looking through an opening, I saw several logs which served as seats. It could hold about 20-30 people. There were several garden patches and other seating areas throughout the area.