2017 tour reviews

[Crusader]

Glad to hear that it wasn't cancerous, mg. Best to your family.

 

Any other NF crew watching tonight? Apparently will call isn't open til 8 so I doubt I'm getting a good spot tonight.

[foats]

Adam  put my thoughts into play almost to a T.  However after hearing the new renditions I am in love with them. The extended jam on Running For Home is a favorite. The way matt sings FTRT is something that I didn't think could be pulled of in a live format.

 

Matt mentioned some songs never being played live. I am going to say Going All The Way and FTRT are 2 that were never played live. I have a ton of bootlegs and until now had never heard either song live.  Both sounded as though Matt and the band were playing them for years. 

 

I am glad that Matt's wife does not have cancer however she wills till be in my prayers.  

 

If you have the chance to see Matt on this tour do it. I have heard the recordings as most of you have and the band is on fire! Do not miss this

[Guest Idioteque]

So sorry to hear about your wife Matt!

 

I was looking through our photos & my gf took adorable photos of your wife holding your son sitting side stage while you played, I'll make sure to tweet them at you.

 

I agree with everything you said about fans being out of touch with alot of things, it hurts the musicians creativity but its the fans fault for not keeping themselves updated. I overheard a drunk girl outside the commodore saying "MGB has solo records?" Blew my mind. Im curious how many people who go to these shows are even aware of the "BM Revisited" was even made.

 

No fault to the artist, but I'm sure adapting & carrying on is all you can do. I'd trade the original version of "Lets Get it On" for you running around the venue standing on tables any day!

 

 

We are going tonight so everything is awesome :)

[emmit643]

I did not instruct anyone to say anything to anyone outside after the show whatsoever. Further, my crew would never treat fans that way unless they were being aggressive. It's very easy to confuse venue security staff for being people that work for me - but they work for the venue. I have no clue what's going on. So I apologize for that.

 

My family was with me last night and both Thom and Elizabeth fell asleep, so they had to be carried down. Further, and while not public knowledge, my wife had a 15lbs tumour removed from her uterus in a major surgery three weeks ago. No cancer thank god, but she has to have a lot of assistance with the kids and getting her back to the hotel and in to bed was a priority.

 

 

It's all very indicative of a very single minded culture that has lost total sight of the imperfections and creative impulses within live performances. Most major artists run tons of tracks live, it all sounds "perfect". That's not music to me - at least not the sort I grew up listening to and admiring. People need to educate themselves about live music, because if they don't we're going to lose it in its truest sense. The fact that there are prevailing views to the contrary speaks to why live music scenes all across this country have died. As a music fan you have to invest in the arts, at all levels. If you don't want to, then you'll live a life of never being surprised or really inspired.

 

I just wanted to chime in, I've had nothing but positive experiences with all MG crew and staff (Jillian, James, Sean, George, Dave, (throwback to) Lance and also another guy who (apologies) I always forget his name. It's only been in the last 4 years that I've interacted with staff and crew really, but I've always been glad when I have. Everyone is great.

 

Venue security and staff I have seen been shitty though. Or overly macho. Maybe it just comes with the security/muscle territory. But hey, they've got a job to do I guess.

 

I'm glad for you and your family that no cancer was found. I wish your wife a speedy recovery!

 

Lastly, one thing I've *always* admired is how true you've sounded live. Not to say that songs are played exactly as they are on the record. That's not it. But that it's really you singing, both on the records and live. Your voice and artistry don't get lost in production, and you're selling us something real. Which nowadays is harder to come by.

 

You, Stu and Blake really bring the magic. I'm very excited to get to see it all in action again. The chemistry. All the little nuances (Stu's signature sway, the intense open mouthed Blake face, and the kind of back step, sideways up glance you do on guitar parts). I'm also excited to get to see Peter thrown in the mix.

 

All to say, I'm very excited. Counting the days till March 11th! (and 16th. and 18th)

Edited February 19, 2017 by emmit643

[Crusader]

Stickland isn't a bad opener. Enjoyed his Bobcaygeon.

[adam_777]

In my opinion this was the best show of the six so far on the tour.  Everything seemed to click and the band was awesome.  Matt seemed genuinely appreciative towards both the crowd and the venue.  All three shows were fantastic at the Commodore, but this one stood just a little above the rest.  Advertising on Police Cars made it's debut as well which is always a bonus.  Decades continues to impress me and I can't wait to hear the rest of that album whenever it may come out.  

Unfortunately I won't be at the Kelowna show tomorrow night, but I'll be back following the band starting in Red Deer. 

[Crusader]

i was really pleased to hear AoP played. saw quite a few people filming so hopefully shows up on youtube soon.

[Guest Idioteque]

I think we are due for another live album, Matt's putting on some of the best performances I've seen out of him.

[foats]

Holy shit did  Advertising On Police Cars sound great.  I just heard the video on youtube and the ending jam sounded perfect.  I would love for this song to keep being played.  I like how Matt and the guys make the changes so that the song never sounds exactly the same twice.  The little tweaks are great for someone who either attends multiple shows or collects bootlegs.  Also I would imagine it's more fun for the band to experiment too.  Absolutely great stuff.

[tristan]

Just finished up in Kelowna.  I wrote a review in the other thread the night of the Victoria show stating that the band put in an awesome effort, but that the mix in the venue was terrible which kind of mucked up that show for me.  Felt kind of bad writing that the opening night of the tour, but it was what it was.  I also said odds are the mix would be better at other venues.

 

I just want to say that the sound in Kelowna was absolutely fantastic tonight.  Shout out to Matt's sound guys for getting the sound so, so right, wearing "MG's Still a Real Asshole" apparel from head to toe, and rocking out like it was opening night.  Matt's vocals were distinct, and all the other instruments were also just where they needed to be.  The crowd stood from HTB onwards and the band was incredibly tight tonight, having fun, trying hard, making all the BM songs sound better than ever.  Not that I was counting, but seriously I could not find a single note that was off tonight.  This was actually verified when a chick possibly on something interrupted Matt to tell him "you sound exactly like you do on the record... and i appreciate that."  Write a Yelp! review, quips Matt.  This really is such an awesome touring record though, and she was right they did nail it.

 

I've seen I think 16 of Matt's shows now, starting from Avalanche.  The vast majority have been fantastic band and vocal performances, one or two maybe not-the-best for various reasons, Victoria really, really not great sonically due to the venue... and then this one.  Thought about it on the drive home and tonight's show was the best live show I've ever seen Matt and the band put on, straight up.  BM is just such a perfect setlist on its own, showcased tonight in a fantastic sounding sold out venue, with Matt really giving a damn on the vocals and the band at the finely tuned stage of the tour, nailing all the details, MG shouting out to Kelowna's mayor who is apparently his bro, just the right amount of tequila and bourbon, stories of Nyquil through the mountains, finally ranting on Trump, the BM deeper cuts executed passionately, vocals in the lobby, an unusually inspired Kelowna crowd, and some more nostalgia for the encore too (Single Explosion, Born Losers, Apparitions, Weapon), or "a passage from 2007, to 2007, to 1996, to 2003," as Matt says.

 

Nothing else to say really except - thanks Matt and the band for such a great effort tonight!  With Craig Stickland as a truly impressive solo opening act, this tour is a remarkable value.  Tonight's show erases Victoria completely for me.  Looking forward to following along the rest of the tour here on the forum.  Don't miss it in person.

Edited February 20, 2017 by tristan

[ChadyzGroove]

Man, the videos of these shows really make me want to grab my passport and come up there and see him. So good. I worked a bunch of overtime last week, so I might actually have the money to swing it. If i am able to get a day(or days) off which venue is better the one in London, ON or Hamilton,ON? Anybody in these areas have a couch a buddy and I could crash on for a night? I would gladly return the favor if any wanted to visit St. Louis, MO.

[hoogie]

I did not instruct anyone to say anything to anyone outside after the show whatsoever. Further, my crew would never treat fans that way unless they were being aggressive. It's very easy to confuse venue security staff for being people that work for me - but they work for the venue. I have no clue what's going on. So I apologize for that.

 

My family was with me last night and both Thom and Elizabeth fell asleep, so they had to be carried down. Further, and while not public knowledge, my wife had a 15lbs tumour removed from her uterus in a major surgery three weeks ago. No cancer thank god, but she has to have a lot of assistance with the kids and getting her back to the hotel and in to bed was a priority.

 

Last, nowhere was it ever advertised that the songs on this tour would be performed note for note as if listening to the album. I personally believe is it a massively sad comment on people's view of music if they expect no surprises or nothing creatively new. What a fantastic way to kill artistry. Sure, we're playing Beautiful Midnight, but we're doing it our way. MGB never played it the same live, and, in fact, didn't even play some of the songs live at all.

 

It's all very indicative of a very single minded culture that has lost total sight of the imperfections and creative impulses within live performances. Most major artists run tons of tracks live, it all sounds "perfect". That's not music to me - at least not the sort I grew up listening to and admiring. People need to educate themselves about live music, because if they don't we're going to lose it in its truest sense. The fact that there are prevailing views to the contrary speaks to why live music scenes all across this country have died. As a music fan you have to invest in the arts, at all levels. If you don't want to, then you'll live a life of never being surprised or really inspired.

 

I have never understood the people who go to a show and expect to hear the album or songs played note for note.  Why bother paying to go to a show if you just want to hear the CD? 

 

Music is an art form.  A lot of people can't handle it anymore, and that's a shame.   

[NonPopulus]

My first show on this tour is tomorrow in Red Deer. I'm lucky enough to work for a company that is generous with vacation for long-term employees, so I took the whole week off for Red Deer, Calgary, and Edmonton. I'm looking forward to hearing many of these songs live for the first time. I love live variants of songs. When I was in high school, I used to spend my nights collecting bootlegs (mostly Pearl Jam and Metallica) listening through full shows to discover improvs, miscues, and changes. Needless to say, I'm very excited for hearing the way Matt and his current band interpret the songs in 2017.

[AnOceanPearl]

A few changes I noticed are that it appears that Rorschach, Jenni and Going All the Way are played a half step lower than they were recorded, likely because it makes those songs easier for Matt to sing.

[foats]

Decades is growing on me.  It has a very Police esque vibe to it.  Anyone else catching it?

[folk singer]

The commodore is always amusing. Funniest part of my night was the guy behind me constantly asking where Dave Genn was. Once I made eye contact, he kept asking me if I was Dave Genn, and if my wife was Tamara Taggart. Of the available encore configurations, I think that was my ideal (3rd night).

[adam_777]

The commodore is always amusing. Funniest part of my night was the guy behind me constantly asking where Dave Genn was. Once I made eye contact, he kept asking me if I was Dave Genn, and if my wife was Tamara Taggart. Of the available encore configurations, I think that was my ideal (3rd night).

I agree the third night was fantastic.  That encore was something else and a fitting end to the three night stand at the Commodore.  

[Prairieboy]

Decades is growing on me.  It has a very Police esque vibe to it.  Anyone else catching it?

That's exactly what I was thinking. The Police. Can't wait to hear it live in Saskatoon on Sunday!

[Moonlight_Graham]

So this is more just general life advice I felt like sharing, which has helped me a lot to have less anxiety in my life and allowed me more freedom and confidence. We all have bad days, we are not infallible and sometimes things don't go the way we want them too. I know I'm going on and on as usual and feel free to disregard everything I have said; it's just some food for thought that you might consider if you are still feeling down about what happened.  

 

Hi Marcy, very glad to see you posting here again, I remember you having some medical issues that I hope are for the better now.  Welcome back!

 

MG I wish your wife a very speedy recovery.

[NonPopulus]

So. I just got back home from the show in Red Deer.

 

The show took place in a theatre built in 1951. Maybe it was its age that gave it a "small town" vibe. It felt good.

 

I really enjoyed Craig Stickland and so did the rest of the audience, as evidenced by the standing ovation he received at the end of his set. Prior to playing one of his songs, he told a story about working minimal hours as a bartender and sleeping on a couch in a recording studio to pursue his dream of becoming a career musician. Being the humble guy he must be, he didn't revel in the standing ovation for too long before he thanked the crowd and had them sit back down for the set change. Great choice as an opener.

 

From Hello Time Bomb onwards, most of the crowd stood for the majority of Beautiful Midnight as best as I could tell. There was a lot of banter from Matt tonight. I see he tweeted about bourbon bringing the storyteller out in him. There were also some amusing exchanges between him and the audience. For example, during the inevitable calls for Rico, he discussed Underdogs and Last of the Ghetto Astronauts with fans up front. About the latter, he said something along the lines of that album being used by the CIA as torture at Gitmo. He also referred to himself and the current lineup as a band of geriatrics. I thought that the new version of Let's Get it On was particularly powerful live. He wasn't able to sing the song from the audience tonight, because of issues with feedback. There was one of those special "live moments" when the band came out of the second verse totally out of sync with one another, and Matt stopped and restarted the song from the second chorus on. One of my favourite MGB songs has always been Failing the Rorschach Test, so to see that song come alive after what seems like thousands of repeated listens felt really special for me. The same goes for Running for Home. I hope some of the Beautiful Midnight songs other than Giant, Hello Time Bomb, Load Me Up, and the Future is X-Rated remain in rotation for future tours. Decades reveals the promise of the upcoming album. Matt discussed the possibility of producing a short film for Bad Guys Win given "everything going on at the moment." According to him, this was discussed with a record company representative from Toronto who met up with him in Vancouver. Furthermore, the encore he chose tonight, given that there's only two rotating spots, was perfect in my opinion. This was the only show I've seen since 2011 that did not include Born Losers or Alert Status Red, including acoustic performances, so as privileged as I've been to see numerous shows since then, I'm happy to give them a rest.

 

Setlist:

 

Giant

Hello Time Bomb

Strange Days

I Miss New Wave

Load Me Up

Failing the Rorschach Test

Suburbia

Let's Get It On

Jenni's Song

Going All The Way

A Boy and His Machine Gun

The Future is X-Rated

Born to Kill

Running for Home

 

Advertising On Police Cars

Decades

Apparitions

Weapon

[daniel_v]

Just got back from Red Deer.

 

Given that it was at the Memorial Centre I wasn't expecting it to be the greatest experience because it's a seated venue and the last few shows I've gone to there it's hard to stand when most other people aren't.

But thankfully that's where a good crowd makes all the difference and the crowd tonight was fantastic. Stu got everyone up halfway through Hello Time Bomb and most people stayed up after that. There was lots of banter back and forth between them, Matt, and the entire band, actually. 

I think my favorite part of the night was the Rico joke.

Someone started yelling for Rico half way through the concert (not sure if they were serious or if it was a joke), but then another audience member called them out on it reminding them it was the Beautiful Midnight tour, not the Underdogs tour, which then led to a conversation between the crowd and Matt about whether he'd ever be willing to play LOTGA, LOES, or a couple other songs live again. Then just before Matt was about to start into the next song someone else in the crowd went "soooo...Rico?!" Everyone, including Matt, burst out laughing. It was just good timing, lol. I really hope someone caught that on video or audio.

Beyond that it was just a really relaxed atmosphere. Other random points that stood out to me:

-Matt stopped the band halfway through Jenny's Song because someone was out of time with everyone else (something each band member seemed to blame on the other, to which Stu replied Youtube would be the judge, haha) and then just continued where they stopped after a quick, funny WTF was shared between the band. 

-Loved how everyone cheered the fact that Blake was 51. It's a distinguished age and most of the people I really respect are around the 45-60 agemark. Age is subjective and I loved how the crowd seemed to agree. 

-Despite Matt's general dislike of LOTGA, I have to agree with whoever called for that album to be played one day. To me, it's still one of the freshest albums I've ever heard, ever. It's so unique and every band member was able to add something distinct to each song with their instrumentation and yet not take away from the over all song either. I've, to this day, never heard anything like it from anyone, even Matt himself (which I'm sure is, unfortunately, intentional, lol).

-Stu and Blake are really fantastic to watch and probably made the night for me. The talent and intensity they put into the songs live is a treat to watch. Whether it's the insane finger ripping Stu does at the end of AOPC or the all out assault Blake does on the entire drum set at the end of Born To Kill, it always makes a concert more enjoyable when it looks like the band members are truly being engrossed by the music they're playing. 

-Speaking of Born to Kill, even though I still wish they had something resembling the strings, even if it was just Matt singing some vocal melodies over the top of the outro, it was still fucking fantastic. Very intense and a great performance to listen to. Wish they had done the album version a little more like the live version.  
 

-I was planning in recording BTK in it's entirety but, because I'm stupid, forgot to clear my phone for storage before I left for the concert and as such was only able to get a couple clips of earlier songs that haven't had any videos yet. Sorry they're not full ones. 
 

-Going All the Way (clip)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr1pRaRwOc8
 

-A Boy and His Machine Gun (Clip)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppglwtgzWTY

Any chance I can get these get embedded? 

Also, a couple goodies from the merch table. 1 very well designed Beautiful Midnight ink/pastel poster and 1 late 90s MGB lyric t-shirt

Edited February 22, 2017 by daniel_v

[hoogie]

Man, the videos of these shows really make me want to grab my passport and come up there and see him. So good. I worked a bunch of overtime last week, so I might actually have the money to swing it. If i am able to get a day(or days) off which venue is better the one in London, ON or Hamilton,ON? Anybody in these areas have a couch a buddy and I could crash on for a night? I would gladly return the favor if any wanted to visit St. Louis, MO.

 

I looked into going to the Hamilton show recently, and there aren't very many tickets left.  If you're coming up by yourself, you might be able to grab some single seats, as that's all that's left in the lower sections (it's a seated venue).  

 

London is just general admission, and I know there's tickets left.  

 

Can only vouch that London's venue (London Music Hall) is great.  

[emmit643]

I looked into going to the Hamilton show recently, and there aren't very many tickets left. If you're coming up by yourself, you might be able to grab some single seats, as that's all that's left in the lower sections (it's a seated venue).

 

London is just general admission, and I know there's tickets left.

 

Can only vouch that London's venue (London Music Hall) is great.

I liked London's venue as well. And imo if it's down to the two, go with the general admission for sure.

[gursky]

The show took place in a theatre built in 1951. Maybe it was its age that gave it a "small town" vibe. It felt good.

 

 

Given that it was at the Memorial Centre I wasn't expecting it to be the greatest experience because it's a seated venue and the last few shows I've gone to there it's hard to stand when most other people aren't.

But thankfully that's where a good crowd makes all the difference and the crowd tonight was fantastic. Stu got everyone up halfway through Hello Time Bomb and most people stayed up after that. There was lots of banter back and forth between them, Matt, and the entire band, actually. 

 

Attended Red Deer last night and was thoroughly impressed.  I was worried that because the small venue hadn't sold out that the fans wouldn't be in to it, but as others have said, that wasn't the case.  The crowd was respectful and stayed standing for most of the night.  

 

I've been seeing MG/B play for two decades now (Edgefest '97) and Red Deer marked my 30th show.  Each tour is unique and that's why we all keep coming back.  Last night was no different as I was treated to an album I love be played with such enthusiasm and creativity.  I avoided listening to song samples before last night so when songs like Failing The Rorschach Test or Going All The Way were played I felt like I was hearing the songs fresh for the first time. 

 

The band was very loose and relaxed which led to a few in between song banter.  18 songs were played but it was almost two hours long with the multiple breaks between songs.  

 

adam_777 saw the setlist and told me what the encore was and as the show was running long I was worried that a song would be dropped, and I'm thrilled it wasn't because it was an excellent mix of songs.  I'm really glad to be seeing another show on this tour because what the guys are doing on stage is worth it.

 

If you want to hear how Failing The Rorschach Test sounded then take a listen here: https://soundcloud.com/sean-gursky/matthew-good-live-failing-the-rorschach-test.

[NonPopulus]

It sounds like the consensus is that last night was fantastic. I usually go to the west coast for a show, but this time given the circumstances, I decided to go to three Alberta shows. Looking at the sets from the past Red Deer shows, it seems like special things always happen there. I'm glad I went this time. It truly was great. By the way, I really like the effect Stu is using for the chorus of Let's Get It On.

Edited February 23, 2017 by NonPopulus