Monthly Archives: October 2009

Ocean Rain in Concert

Last night Sean, Sonia and I took a break from our normal lives and headed to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre at the CNE to catch Echo doing their Ocean Rain album accompanied by symphony. For $77 a pop we didn’t know what to expect. My guess was that they would do the album and that’s it.

Was I ever wrong. As the lights dimmed and the gang came out sans orchestra and started hammering out ‘Going Up’, I knew something was up. After the song, Ian said (more or less because I can never really understand what he’s saying) that with all the interviews and ‘ciggies’ he had that day he needed to stretch his voice, that the band had decided to do 2 sets that night: One with a sampling of songs from all their albums, followed by the Ocean Rain album.

Unbelievable! Thus, the event turned into something we couldn’t have imagined. And Ian and the band were on form. Better than I’ve ever seen them, and I’ve seen them many, many times. I think the theatre acoustics helped, but that didn’t account for how ‘on’ they were. Ian had great voice control. Plus the ‘new’ bassist was quite the addition.

Sitting through the first set had some oddness to it. As they were more or less doing their normal gig, I’m used to being in a crowd of people standing/dancing around with drink in hand. And quite a bit more rowdy. Sitting there and politely applauding to the set was unusual. Especially when it was time for ‘Cutter’.

The first set even touched upon a couple of songs from their new album ‘The Fountain’. I don’t know the titles offhand since I’ve just this morning popped it into my car. But they did the 1st two tracks off the album. I think they’re “Forgotten Fields” and “I Think I Need it Too”. They also did, to my delight, Villeur’s Terrace with a merge into Roadhouse Blues. Other songs from the list: Stormy Weather, Nothing Lasts Forever (I wanna play football for the coach…with Ian’s trademark wanderings and meshings into Lou Reeds ‘Walk on the Wild Side’), Show of Strength, Rescue.

The crowd was an eclectic bunch of old-timers and odds and ends. We would be considered young in that crowd. So the energy wasn’t really projecting from the crowd and Ian had to muster it up on his own. One unusual attendee: a 6mth baby that had industrial strength ear muffs on his/her head. Very cute, and very dedicated mother.

It’s tough to dance in the rows and there was some but not much dancing in the aisles. I wonder how that made the band feel? One lady tried multiple times to hand Ian a dozen roses. Not sure if he ever got them.

Between sets was a 20 minute break to stretch and prep. And then it was all business as the band came out to do the feature. And this set will go down in my books as the most memorable Echo concert, scratch that, the most memorable concert moment of my life. I was blown away. So much that I just sat there in my seat, barely moving and soaked it all in. The orchestra fills out the Ocean Rain album so much that you wonder how they pulled any of these songs off in previous concerts without the accompanyment. I know Wills DAT fillins help there, but it doesn’t compare to the rich full and majestic volume that the combination of the band and the orcestra produced.

As the band moved through the songs, right about the end of Killing Moon, you could feel the anticipation building for Ocean Rain itself. And when they performed it, well, words can’t describe it. It was clearly the best rendition I have ever heard. Even Will’s iMAC malfunction wasn’t enough to spoil the moment.

Great times, well worth the coin, and when are they coming back again?