It’s been two hundred and thirty-nine days since Rocktographers’ last concert. That’s roughly 20,649,600 seconds. We did the math.
When we were given the opportunity to finally safely head to a concert, it was almost fitting that it be one of the last artists we saw perform in 2020. The ever-charismatic Ryan McMahon.
Things are different when you head to a concert these days. Obviously, there are the masks, the COVID questions, and the socially-distanced seating. Nothing makes a room feel cavernous like 50 seats (maximum allowed at the time of the concert) in a 350 seat theatre. Nevertheless, the staff at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney, BC make you feel comfortable, and even offer drink service to your seats throughout the show.
As the audience settled, bluesman Oyster Jim took the stage. Originally hailing from Birmingham, England, the singer-songwriter now calls the wilds of Vancouver Island home.
While Oyster Jim’s opening set was short, it was impactful. Not a moment was wasted as he told stories and played covers from the likes of John Lee Hooker and Skip James. One song even prompted him to make the observation about how Canadians aren’t afraid of animals like bears and cougars . . . but they are terrified of Canadian Geese.
Like many of us, Oyster Jim has been struggling with Canada’s shameful history and treatment of Indigenous peoples. Ours was a country he put on a pedestal when and moved his family from the United Kingdom during a global pandemic. As he was working through this news, and writing music, he discovered Free’s song, Heavy Load. He covered this powerful piece, made even more relevant in our times.
By the end of his set, Oyster Jim had an audience of new fans.
While Vancouver Island’s Ryan McMahon is an accomplished singer-songwriter, he is first and foremost a storyteller. Throughout the evening, he shared impassioned and hilarious stories of his travels as a touring musician.
As McMahon took the stage and struck his first note, the room was filled with cheers from an adoring audience. The room was littered with friends and fans who’d travelled from all over the island just to see Ryan play. Including an old friend of his father, fans from Nanaimo, and a guy who helped build the 1989 Batmobile. That’s right, the motherfucking Batmobile!
With a back catalog as large as Ryan McMahon’s, it’s hard to predict what’s coming when you see him live. Staples like This House Is Not For Sale and Too Tired For Love were accompanied by covers of Justin Towns Earle, Neil Young, and John Prine.
Ryan lit up as he had the opportunity to debut several new songs live on the stage for the first time. These were definitely standouts of the evening, and we can’t wait to hear them again soon, even letting slip that one of the songs was produced by Aaron Pritchett, and would be coming out as a new single later this year.
Throughout the evening, there wasn’t a moment where Ryan McMahon didn’t have a smile on his face, clearly relishing the moment and the energy which every musician has been missing over the past year. He beamed a little stronger as the he wrapped the night up with Shine, a single from his band Lion Bear Fox.
For many of us, this was our first in-person concert in an extremely long time. We live in a world filled with hesitation, worries, and uncertainty right now and, for a brief two-hour stretch of time, things felt almost normal again.
As the 50 audience members streamed out of the Mary Winspear Centre, there was clearly a buzz in the air: hope and excitement for what’s around the corner.
