Well, the stage was set for what could only be described as one cancon (short for Canadian content) of a block party.
Toronto's recent claim to fame, rockers Crash Parallel, opened the night with a series of ballads. Although the band did captivate its audience, it wasn’t until they dug into “World We Know” that the crowd began to feel their true presence. Crash also made it a point to make mention of their grassroots by belching out “Thanks for supporting Canadian music” shortly after which they paid respect to one of their many inspirations, Peter Gabriel, by launching into a cover of “In Your Eyes”. What followed was somewhat unexpected: one of our Habs tuques made its way onto the stage only to be worn by one of the guitar players. It was explained that the bassist had promised one of the guitarists a new tuque and figured a red, white and blue one might do the trick. Crash continued to inch closer to the anxiously awaited, David Usher with “Casualties of War” and with their recent chart topper, “Rain Delays”.
After a short wait, the lights dimmed as the crowd clearly multiplied and the venue began to show its true capacity. The long awaited David Usher and his musicians emerged to what seemed an odd choice for an introduction: KC & The Sunshine Band’s “That’s the Way I Like It”. However this intro was short lived as Usher got comfortable and set the audience ablaze by starting the real party with “Some People Say”. The crowd fell into what could only be described as a trance-like state as Usher proved that he still had it in him with hits such as “The Music” and “Airplanes”. The true surprise came as Usher and his band surpassed expectations by revisiting the days of old with favourites “Breathe” and “Push” -- memories from his time as lead singer for the now defunct Moist.
Throughout his set, the Canadian pop rocker tried his best to speak as much as he could in French, fully aware that his music had as much an effect on Francophones as it did on Anglophones. Likewise he also informed his fans that he was taking French courses – in fact his teacher was in the crowd – and for the time being apologized for any imperfections. His broken French was obviously overlooked by the fans and his efforts appreciated as Usher continued his musical seduction with “When It Hurts” and what is probably his most recognized work, “Love Will Save The Day” (to which he had the crow singing ‘ah, ah; ah, ah”). “Find My Way” out made way for a surprise duo of “Kill the Lights” as Usher shared the stage with Quebec’s Anik Jean. Other notable tracks include his well-received “Black Black Heart” as the show came to an end with a short encore.
Special thanks to Arlene Slavin from Rubin Fogel Productions.
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