Truth be told, the window for Blue Rodeo to achieve stardom beyond Canada’s borders has already closed. But that mattered little last night, as Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor and cohorts held a packed audience in the palms of their hands for two and a quarter magnificent hours at the first of the band’s two Vancouver concerts at the Orpheum Theatre.
A show peppered with great songs was built on solid foundations, Cuddy’s polished singing and the crisp guitar-work of Colin Cripps both highlighting opener “Trust Yourself.” Keelor’s turn at the mic followed immediately, his earthy vocals on “Side of the Road” the perfect match to his Santa Claus-in-denim stage style.
Despite Cuddy and Keelor’s Canadian superstar status, both were more than comfortable sharing the spotlight with their razor-tight band. “5 Days in May” was drifting along gently before keyboardist Michael Boguski ripped out a soulful piano solo as the band accelerated around him, accompanying but never overpowering.
A change of pace and a moment of magic arrived as all but Boguski and Keeler left the stage for “Dark Angel,” the fragility in the latter’s voice seemingly on the edge of cracking entirely. A hauntingly raw performance ruminating on lost love and the inevitable reality of aging, the Orpheum was pin-drop silent throughout, fully aware that it was witnessing something special.
But Blue Rodeo didn’t hit it out of the ballpark on every swing.
“This is a song about obsession,” explained Keelor, introducing new Joan of Arc-themed plodder “The Flame.” “It has a happy ending. She’s reunited with her god.”
However the greatness consistently overcame the rare moments of mediocrity. As Cuddy and Cripps sat down alone with a pair of acoustic guitars the song requests rained onto the stage.
“Those are all good suggestions,” smiled Cuddy, before starting “One Light Left in Heaven,” stopping a few bars later to wish Cripps a happy birthday. The pair were joined by Keelor at its end, who introduced a bouncy “What Am I Doing Here” with the admission that “This song’s about one of the shittiest shows we ever had.”
Mixing honest emotion and a cute sense of fun throughout, by the time Cuddy insisted that it was “Time to get on your feet folks” as he launched into “Til I Am Myself Again,” the crowd was ready to party. They wouldn’t return to their seats again as Blue Rodeo finished with a veritable greatest hits finale.
Keelor led the band through “Diamond Mine” before an outstanding encore of acoustic duet “Til I Gain Control Again,” a crowd-propelled “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet,” the arrival of a pair of birthday cakes and the re-emergence of support act Terra Lightfoot and her band to add their vocals to a moving rendition of “Lost Together,” its words echoing around the Orpheum.
“If we’re lost, then we are lost together!”
Blue Rodeo will eternally be unknown outside Canada. It’s too late for the world to catch on now. That’s okay. They’re our little secret. One we can keep together.
Blue Rodeo plays a second show at Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre tonight.
