Yusuf / Cat Stevens

Massey Hall, Toronto, ON

Dec. 1st, 2014

Over the years much has been written about Yusuf, formerly known by the stage name Cat Stevens. He has been maligned by negative and speculative publicity. It matters not what his religious or political beliefs may be. I care not to read what has been written. Converting to Islam, becoming a Muslim, changing his name makes no difference to me. When I think of Yusuf / Cat Stevens only two things come to mind:

1.) Peace

2.) Music

This is why it struck me as odd that the level of security at his concert was beyond anything I've experienced. It was like going through airport security. Putting your belongings in a plastic bin, walking through a metal detection booth, being again scanned by a wand...the only thing missing was having to remove your shoes and being frisked. It was just beyond me why anyone would want to harm Yusuf.  I cannot think of a more peaceful person. 

The line to get in when doors opened at 6pm stretched down several city blocks. With the added security, it took three hours to process each patron attending the sold out show. Although the concert was supposed to start at 8pm, it started closer to 9pm, not because he was making us wait for him but rather he was waiting for all of us so no one would have to miss anything. After all, it had been 38 years since the last time he toured and was in Toronto. This was a monumentus event!

He shared with us an impressive 28-song setlist with a brief intermission midway through. Starting off with "The Wind" instantly had me in tears as it is just so breathtakingly beautiful. He did change up some of his classic songs, either lyrically, rhythmically or melodically. It was either to make it fresh or a creative challenge and perhaps to abide by his faith. In any case, if you closed your eyes you would not know that he had aged at all since he last toured in 1976.

[Setlist] Posted by Yusuf / Cat Stevens

The Peace Train...Late Again tour is in support of his latest album "Tell 'Em I'm Gone". The album consists of some original songs plus some classic cover tunes handpicked and arranged to suit Yusuf's sound and style. The impressive stage set consists of a complete train station with a sign for each respective city on the tour. I marveled at the amount of logistics that must be involved in transporting, setting up and tearing down across the North American tour dates. We were very lucky that the only Canadian date took place in Toronto.

In a recent interview on CBS Sunday Morning, he touches on why he chose smaller venues, why he chose to tour again, his religious conversion and bowing out of the music industry for so long.

[Video] Interview from CBS Sunday Morning

In any case, being with Yusuf in a setting like Massey Hall was like a warm hug from the past with a sprinkling of new ideas and recognizable covers all culminating in a journey through the passage of time and emotions. Here's to hoping the Peace Train will take another voyage in the near future.

Andy Grammer

Toronto Centre for The Arts

Liv, Love & Lyrics charity event Nov. 30th, 2014
for the LivWise Foundation

Do you remember that video that went viral of a young girl fighting cancer yet still singing her heart out? See below:

[Video] Olivia Wise - Roar (Katy Perry cover)

She passed away a couple months afterwards but in her short life, she left such a legacy in her wake. Thus was the precipice for the LivWise Foundation which spawned the first ever Liv, Love & Lyrics charity event in Toronto on Nov. 30th, 2014.

Although it was to be a celebration of Olivia's life and her love of music, it was still a somber affair. It was difficult to cry about her passing after an emotional video about her life and death and then get up and dance like you would at a regular concert. This was no regular concert.

To start off the music portion of the event, there were several young musicians who had tried out and got to open the show. We're talking 14 to 17 year olds that did not seem nervous to perform by themselves at all. It was quite impressive.

The headliner for the charity concert was the lovely, positive, seemingly always upbeat Andy Grammer. It turns out the producer of his latest album, Magazines Or Novels, was actually the same producer of Olivia's "Roar" video. That's how Andy, who also lost a loved one to cancer, found out about the event. 

It was not just an extraordinary event, it was also the first time Andy Grammer had played in Toronto. Hopefully he'll be able to come back soon under different circumstances so we can do more than just vigorously dance in our seats. He was funny and sweet, not to mention an exceptionally talented singer and songwriter. His lyrics are about being human, quirky, flawed and real but always uplifting. At the meet and greet, it was very casual and he was generous with his time. It was not at all assembly line, regimented, or time constrained. 

It's quite possible that the audience members were all there for various reasons. Some were there for the cause. Some were there for Olivia and her family. Others were probably there for the young performers that opened the show or perhaps to see Andy Grammer. Whatever reason that brought us all together, the whole evening was just a lovely experience from start to finish.

[Photo Gallery] Andy Grammer

[Link] LivWiseFoundation

Stevie Wonder - Air Canada Centre

Toronto, ON Nov. 25th,  2014

What can you say about Stevie Wonder that hasn't already been said? He became a recording artist at the age of eleven! Now at the age of sixty-four, he still sounds like he did back in his heyday when Songs In The Key Of Life first came out back in the seventies.

After an astounding career spanning over fifty years, he hasn't lost his stamina, lust for life or sense of humour. This wasn't just a concert, it was a 3+ hour jam session, giving others an opportunity to shine. In particular, a vocal run competition with one of his male back-up singers was especially impressive. He also introduced another of his back-up singers, his first daughter Aisha, who was part of a jam off with two other singers.

Stevie played several instruments, one of which I've never seen before and would be impossible to explain. You would have to see it with your own eyes. Not only did he have a massive band but also a local Toronto mini orchestra on stage with him. Of course who can forget the lovely India Arie escorting and singing with Stevie.

The party went on long after curfew and a satisfied crowd finally filed out of the Air Canada Centre after midnight. I'm sure no one minded having to get up for work the next morning all bleary-eyed and yet happy.

[Photo Gallery] Stevie Wonder concert

[Review] Ed Sheeran – Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON – Sept. 18th, 2014

(with opener Rudimental)

Ed Sheeran's first show at the Air Canada Centre and it was SOLD OUT! Not at all surprising though. One man, many guitar changes (including a rare appearance of his electric guitar), nearly two hours of totally captivating music = one bad ass equation. Seems only fitting since his first studio album + was called “Plus” and his second album X is called “Multiply”.

Although he began recording his music independently back in 2005, his career exploded when his first studio album came out 3 short years ago in Sept. 2011. By the end of 2012 he was already a headliner.

Not every musician needs to make a concert a huge spectacle of a production. Raw and amazing talent is more than enough to make the experience compelling. Ed Sheeran can seamlessly put together vocal harmonies and banging rhythms, moving effortlessly from on-your-feet dance anthems to soft heartfelt tunes to lightening fast rap lyrics.

An unassuming, dressed down, down to earth human being just strolls up to the microphones, straps on a guitar and gets you dancing and singing at the top of your lungs until you lose your voice. He was on fire...at one point literally...well, not physically. No harm came to him while his projected images were on fire though for his song “I See Fire”. His set had the crowd singing along so loudly the sound was all-encompassing and overwhelmingly beautiful. When Ed decided to slow things down, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop in this massive arena.

His 18-song setlist consisted of:

I'm A Mess

Lego House

Don't - with a little Blackstreet “No Diggity” thrown in

Drunk

Take It Back

One

Bloodstream

Tenerife Sea

Runaway - with a little Backstreet Boys “Everybody”

Kiss Me

Nina

Afire Love

Thinking Out Loud

Give Me Love

I See Fire

Encore:

You Need Me, I Don't Need You

The A-Team

Sing

[Video] Ed Sheeran - Give Me Love (via hui chen)

The opener, Rudimental, is a band also from the UK. Very good vocally but musically I was a bit lost. I couldn't follow the beat and it seemed like a jumble of musical styles. Instrumentally the bass was way too overpowering so I couldn't really hear the rest of the music besides the drums. It's as if they're trying too hard to put too many elements together to try to be original but it just seemed too muddled. Some people loved it and also sang along but I didn't get it. I did love the vocals though.

[Video] Promo video for Rudimental

[Photo Gallery] Ed Sheeran and Rudimental

Joss Stone & Charles Bradley

Massey Hall, Toronto, ON

Sept. 15^th, 2014

[Review] There are some concerts where you wish you knew every word to every song. Then there are those that you just listen and let the music wash over you. This concert was the latter. Billed as a “Soul Explosion” it certainly lived up to that name and the Massey Hall show in Toronto was their only double-bill together, anywhere.

Joss Stone started things off at first coming across like a shy, demure, down-to-earth almost flower child but once she opened her mouth to sing she had a deep, soulful, powerful presence. She started pursuing a singing career at the age of 13, had a record deal by the time she was 15, and recorded her debut album, “The Soul Session” which was released in 2003 at the age of 16. Now at the ripe old age of 27 she's a seasoned veteran. It's quite evident that singing and music is just a part of her very being.

In her quirky, charming, humorous way she interspersed her songs with little stories that made you feel not so much like a gawking audience member but more like you were sitting around a large dinner table at a casual party. But the real highlight was hearing her smooth yet gravelly voice. It was like she was at one with the music. The only downfall was having difficulty really hearing her over the band but that was just a technical thing. I just wanted to hear more, especially when she really belted it out!

Charles Bradley's performance made me think of what it might have been like back in the down and dirty days of the Apollo Theater. He is soul and has that soul scream down like nobody's business. Even his moves are the epitome of hip gyrating funk. At first though he seemed disconnected from the audience, keeping his eyes closed and doing a lot of that soul screaming. At the point in his set where he left the stage for a costume change, it seemed like a different show when he came back. It was like the show had been started over again with another intro and a fresh start. There were times when the crowd was really into it and I was seemingly missing the plot but was determined to stick it out until the end. Mr. Bradley regaled us with advise about love, lust, sex and how the music reflected all those things as well as some baby-making beats. He got down like James Brown.

[Photo Gallery] 

[Review] James Taylor at Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, Toronto, ON July 24th/14

On a gorgeous summer night, James Taylor and his All-Star Band graced the stage of the outdoor venue playing to a sold-out crowd. As his voice and music are timeless, it was also evident that he has affected generations of music lovers by the many age groups of the concert goers in attendance.

Foregoing any openers, we were lucky to have him all to ourselves for a good 2 ½ hours, save for a 20 minute intermission where he stayed to sign autographs and take pictures. When's the last time you went to a concert without openers and without having to pay for a meet & greet to get the opportunity people had at intermission? It's just another indication of how the music industry has changed over the years and, in that regard, it's nice to be old school.

He makes it seem like singing and playing guitar are so effortless yet he is so precise and flawless in both endeavours. I was so enthralled I didn't even pull out my phone. The guitar, or should I say several guitars are such an extension of the person, you wouldn't even know it wasn't his first instrument. As a child he started out learning how to play the cello but switched to guitar at the age of twelve and wrote his first song at fourteen. Aren't we glad he didn't stay with the cello? Although his guitar-playing technique is derived from his bass clef-oriented cello training and from experimenting on his sister's keyboard. “My style was a finger-picking style that was meant to be like a piano, as if my thumb were my left hand, and my first, second and third fingers were my right hand.”

Some may think the majority of his music is quite somber and classified as easy-listening but don't be sleepin' on James Taylor. He can get down with his bluesy bad ass self. He had us clapping, singing and dancing our asses off. Not what you'd expect at a James Taylor concert.

He joked about the frequent interruptions from the planes flying by at close range, remarking on one occasion that, “That one starts out as an A (note)”, an observation that could only be made by a very musical ear. He played many of his classic songs, even saying that when he first started playing Carole King's 'You've Got A Friend' he didn't know he'd be playing it every night for the rest of his life, not that that's such a terrible problem to have. He also shared some new songs that are going to be on his long-awaited forthcoming album.

A five-time Grammy award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000. His Greatest Hits album was certified eleven times Platinum in the U.S., earning a Diamond certification by the RIAA and eventually selling close to 20 million copies worldwide. Over a time span of 40 years (1968-2008) he has come out with 16 studio albums.

In an age where the radio charts and music award shows are rife with electronically manipulated 'music' and even 'vocals', it's nice to know that there is still REAL music and REAL vocals out there to be savoured. Coming from an era where it didn't matter so much what you LOOKED like but it was more about what you SOUNDED like, seeing James Taylor live was like seeing your favourite relative that you've known since your childhood who holds a special place in your heart and brings back fond memories of growing up with his music.

[Photo Gallery]

Delta Rae, Sun K and Gabe Dixon
Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto, ON June 26, 2014

Delta Rae hailing from NC are bewitching, beguiling and leave you feeling breathless. Each member of the band bring their own uniqueness into the mix yet they come together to put forth a magical musical experience. Their harmonies reverberate through you leaving you spellbound and at a loss for words.

Like many touring musicians, if they come to Canada for only one stop thankfully they choose Toronto as THE place to be. We were lucky enough to have Delta Rae grace us with their presence and I am lucky enough to live in this city. Hopefully more Canadian cities will be able to experience seeing Delta Rae live in the near future, and it is definitely an experience! The videos below will attest to that, even when they go 'off mic' for the second one.

[Video] Delta Rae - Bottom Of The River

[Video] Delta Rae - Any Better Than This

Sun K, a local Toronto band musically sounds good. The lead vocals sound like a cross between Bob Dylan and Sam Roberts. Personally not my cup of tea but music is subjective. I couldn't help feeling like they were still in the 'practicing in someone's garage' phase but there were some musical moments.

Gabe Dixon, currently hailing from Nashville, is an exceptional singer/songwriter/pianist/guitarist. I was enjoying his opening set so much, I actually forgot to take pictures. I did manage to record his singalong tune 'Running On Fumes' which was such fun. Everything I could possible describe about Gabe Dixon is in the video below. Enjoy!

[Video] Gabe Dixon - Running On Fumes

[Photo Gallery]