There’s nothing wrong with a straight-ahead rock show.
Start with a pow, end with a bang, verse/chorus/bridge/out . . . it’s popular because it works.
But, for me (and, possibly, other folks who tend to listen to music hard), I love somewhat unconventional elements to my rock shows, like background loops, multiple-song suites, and there’s a special place in my heart for long, slow-build intros.
Well, for his final Victoria show until spring, Vince Vaccaro‘s opening song (the title track from his latest release, March of the Sun) was killer.
The rhythmic, bass-heavy head-bobber was flawlessly reproduced from the studio version (which, by the way, is five minutes of instrumental before the lyrics kick in in the final minute), catching the attention of the entire room at Sugar Nightclub before they knew what hit them.
Vince was walking the front speakers, tambourine in hand, getting claps and phone photos before heading back down to the stage for his time at the mic.
Rock show mode kicked in right afterward with the song Vince called his most faithful reproduction of a live performance, Out Tonight.
Favourites like The Dove, Emergency, Catch a Fire, and Costa Rica were nicely balanced with new songs like Forever Loving Arms, Can’t Stop, and Down by the Ocean, and the crowd was receptive to it all.
And if you’ve never heard Vince cover Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark to close out a show, that’s something you should remedy soonest.
It was very heartwarming to see a “pit” (we love Sugar Nightclub, but you have to be pretty adept at navigating a veritable obstacle course of tripping hazards in complete darkness for prime photo shooting positions) full of Rocktographers at this show; Vince was very giving with his media access and, indeed, had a few disposable cameras on stage, snapping the openers and other fun moments before hitting the stage himself.
Perhaps we’ll have a shot from Vince at YYJ Rocktographers 2016 . . .
Dead City Radio and Freedom Pony warmed up the crowd before Vince took the stage, and Freedom Pony included another YYJ Rocktographer, Michelle Edwards, on trumpet. She kept her camera on stage with her, naturally.
Thanks for a great show, Vince. We hope you have a nice break over the winter (get surfing before it cools down!) and find solid success with March of the Sun.
