Is it unfair to measure the musical stars of today against the greats of the past? Perhaps, but in a week where music fans naturally mourn the passing of David Bowie and Lemmy Kilmister, it’s impossible not to make comparisons, especially when confronted by types like Taylor Swift-endorsed Aussie Rules footballer turned busker-made-good Vance Joy, who kicked off his North American ‘Fire and the Flood’ Tour last night with the first of two concerts in the serene confines of Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre.
You’ve probably heard the music of Vance Joy (real name James Keogh) without even knowing about it. He specializes in the kind of acoustic guitar-powered, well-sung, radio-friendly anthems that inevitably end up accompanying mildly hipsterfied couples as they depart the city for wild country roads in commercials for reasonably priced SUVs.
IN PICTURES: Vance Joy serenades Vancouver
Things started pleasantly enough, the star of the night leading his band through set opener “Mess Is Mine,” its shuffling rhythms immediately prising the crowd out of their seats.
After the obligatory greeting, “It’s good to see you Vancouver, how you doing?” Joy delivered the first of many earnest song introductions from the stage for air travel romance “Red Eye,” accidentally insulting millions of Canadians, comparing the nation to Australia by insisting that there’s “not a lot in the middle.”
You could tell that any offence was accidental, as the rest of the evening proceeded in the most anodyne manner imaginable, the politeness of Joy’s stage banter reflecting the unrelenting mildness of his music.
“This song is about loving someone from a distance,” he explained by way of introducing introspective lovelorn ballad “From Afar.” “I had a crush on my girlfriend’s friend. Obviously I never did anything about it. Well, I did something. I wrote a song.”
Granted, swagger isn’t an essential weapon in every rock star’s arsenal. Joy understands that shyness and sensitivity stand alongside his vocals as his major selling points. But in a week when the legacies of Bowie and Lemmy are rightfully still swirling across social media, it’s not too much to expect songwriters to arrive on stage with a sense of charisma, dynamism, experimentation, or a passion for their craft.
“You wear your socks to bed,” sang Joy in “Emmylou,” “That’s what I do.” Thrilling stuff.
Motionless throughout while switching between strummed acoustic guitar and ukulele, the crowd created their own atmosphere, singing their way through “Wasted Time,” “Georgia,” “Riptide” and a sunny cover of Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” that substituted the refrain from OMI’s summer hit “Cheerleader” for the tricky bass solo.
To absolutely no-one’s surprise, the evening concluded with Joy leading the Orpheum in a group rendition of megahit “Fire and the Flood,” a suitably predictable ending to a night of well-mannered niceness that neither thrilled the senses nor challenged emotions.
Not everyone can aspire to Bowie’s creative heights or Lemmy’s sonic ferocity, but surely it’s not too much to expect the next wave of music stars to make art that has something, anything, to say?
Vance Joy plays at Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre again Wednesday night.
