International Report
Edited by Evan Newman - newmando@hotmail.com
Jambands Bombard Vancouver
Never before has Vancouver, British Columbia been treated to such an
abundance of quality jambands in such a short period of time. It started
with the Zen Tricksters and ended with a three night stand with String
Cheese Incident. In between these shows, Vancouverites were treated to a
memorable evening with Neil Young and a ripping show from the
fast-rising Burt Neilson Band.
The madness started with the Zen Tricksters on February 23 playing to a
full house at Richards on Richards. Their surprisingly choices of Dead
tunes were incredibly performed, most noticeably, Alligator which had
the crowd grooving at a feverish pace. The Mission in the Rain was
unexpected and equally enjoyable. Their new songs set to appear on their
new album seem to need a little more work. Overall it was a great show and
we'll hopefully be seeing them back.
On February 26, The Burt Neilson Band rolled into town for a stop on
their Canadian tour. I had not seen this band since leaving Toronto and
was eager to see how they had matured. I was not let down, they
performed their older songs with new found energy and their new material
blew me away. The highlight of this incredible show was the encore of
Crosstown Traffic, the classic Hendrix tune, they nailed it with a great
little jam. Overall, The Burt Neilsen Band is the top jam band act in
Canada, their tour sites are listed here and I highly recommend catching
our hottest export since Canadian Bacon.
Neil Young stopped here to play a two night solo acoustic show. The
tickets were expensive but well worth it as we were able to catch Neil
in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre which has a capacity of only 2500. The
enthusiastic crowd were treated to the hits like After the Gold Rush
(performed on pipe organ), Old Man and lotta love. He also played more
obscure songs like Alberquerque and Homegrown. Neil was chatty with the
crowd and seemed quite relaxed, his playing was beyond words.
The end of this run came with the three night stand of The String Cheese
Incident, One night in Vancouver and two nights in gorgeous Whistler. I
had not been exposed to SCI before these shows as they had never been to
Canada before. The first night was at the Vogue Theatre which is
fantastic place, SCI created a wonderful vibe and connection with the
audience from the beginning. Their mix of everything and anything
possible was played out incredibly. Never before have I seen 5 musicians
so talented individually melt so well together as a group. That's What
Love Will Make You Do and Superstition were covers that were done in awe
inspiring fashion and their own tunes were impressive. Everything from
Bluegrass to Jazz to a band drum session were included in this stellar
show as well as a great moment when SCI fans joined the band for an
impromptu glowstick dance. Their next show was equally if not more
stellar than the first. A much smaller venue lead to a very intimate
show with more melodic grooves and heavier jamming. Overall, SCI was a
great finisher to a stellar couple of weeks in Vancouver. A special
shout goes out to Terrapin Productions, the people who brought these
great acts here and will continue to do so with upcoming shows of KVHW
and Merl Saunders. Vancouver is quickly becoming the jamband capitol of
Canada.
