We Became City And Colour Fans This Holiday Season

Photo courtesy of Riley Taylor, AUX TV

It was the furthest thing from a “Night Terror” as The Great Hall opened it’s doors for an intimate holiday show with City and Colour aka Dallas Green. Packed inside the cramped opera styled theatre, industry insiders and fans lucky enough to RSVP for the secret event sat in eager anticipation waiting for Mr. Green to take center stage. All the while I sat in silent embarrassment as one of probably five people in the Greater Toronto Area who hadn’t listened to City and Colour before. You would think being a music journalist would predispose me to the somber love letter that is Bring Me Your Love or the rough edges of The Hurry and The Harm but it just never happened. And by the end of the set, I deeply regreted it.

Arriving 40 minutes after the announced set time, Green casually walked on stage in a homely jean jacket with a tall can of beer in tow. Oblivious to the nature of his sets, I was surprised by the stripped down nature of it all. Quite simply, it was a man and his guitar and a center light so that he was visible in the darkly lit room. Just before launching into Little Hell cut “Fragile Birds,” he shared a humorous story about his wife’s unfortunate penchant for nightmares before singing. Green’s warm yet piercing oaky vocals reverberated through the hall, pulling me away from my paper and pen. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the voice leaving the man on stage felt like a physical schism between body and voice in real time. He would spool into the sorrow and tambourine march of “The Lonely Life” and early cuts like , “Hello I’m in Delaware” and “Like Knives” from the classic—according to the person beside me—album, Sometimes. The audience would follow to the beat of his strum, singing along with a near reverence for Green while he would converse with the crowd or jump into another story before playing more songs. As a newcomer, the mid song commentaries would be an education process for my gradual process from listener to fan, as each song was given a sense of depth and a sincerity very rarely evoked from most live performers. For almost a moment it felt like we were merely Green's extended family, bartering songs and beer for conversation.

Photo courtesy of Riley Taylor, AUX TV

Proving himself a master venue conductor by the end of the night, Green asked the audience to assist in the introspective “What Makes A Man” with one side singing the song verbatim and other with a slight lilt at the tail end. While, there was a bit of apprehension at first, everyone would find their voice and chune in. I too would join, mouthing the words to the song fully aware I didn’t know the words and not one person would care nor notice. Green would then close out his set Bring Me Your Love track, “Sleeping Sickness” bringing the audience together once more as men with kneaded manbuns and plaid shirts sang “Someone come and, someone come and save my life” in unison while Green’s guitar licks were swallowed whole by the loud stomping and clapping of the audience ensuring the concert went out as loudly as it came.

There’s something to be said about the love and almost quiet admiration Green’s fans displayed throughout the show. If anything the crowd seemed happy to just be there as the laughs were just as loud when he was talking as the “whoo-hoos” after another great song. However, I couldn’t shake a slight feeling of envy for the other people in attendance. Maybe, not envy, but after watching a great performance there’s always that subtle yet distinct feeling that you saw the very best of that artist in that given time. However, after Green exited the stage to loud applause I felt like I saw a small piece of the City and Colour experience and felt like I missed out. Not long after, some audience members would leave while others took to the bar or would listen to music at the headphones booth. I would choose the latter, deciding it was time to finally familiarize myself with City and Colour’s discography for next time.

Jabbari Weekes respects the fact that he Dallas uses colour with a "u" - @DaysAndWeekes

In addition to the City and Colour concert, we're giving you the chance to win tickets to see more intimate concerts.
Email contests.canada@vice.com with the subject line 'Noisey Play' for your chance to win tickets to:
The New Pornographers in Vancouver - December 11
Coeur de Pirate in Montreal - December 18