Blue October concert review
The Phoenix Concert Theatre
Toronto, ON
May 13th, 2014
Brilliant words are needed but escape
me. I feel the need to be eloquent and intelligent when describing
the energy and poetry that is Blue October. The shining beacon and
troubled soul that is the heart of the band is frontman Justin
Furstenfeld. That speaks to the duality that is the man. Well aware
of his downfalls, using his past addictions, failures and mental
health as inspiration, or just perhaps an avenue to purge himself and
use music as a catharsis, he writes all the lyrics and sometimes
co-writes the music. Many songwriters say, “Write what you know”
and he definitely does just that.
Perhaps you've seen videos of their
more well-known songs like 'Hate Me' or 'Into The Ocean'. They are
dramatic, spellbinding...they draw you in until you're mesmerized.
Last night, on a basic stage with some mood lighting, stripped of all
the video production, they still managed to evoke that same feeling
of being mesmerized. Awestruck, mouth agape, dancing to the
infectious rhythms you get so caught up in the story unfolding before
your eyes you forget about getting the perfect photo or keeping track
of the set list. For the first time ever, I didn't write anything
down. I was so caught up in the experience it didn't seem important
to write down every song title. And you know that feeling you get
when someone is singing their guts out on stage and they come over
and look you in the eyes...repeatedly...and when it keeps happening
you somehow feel special without really knowing why...ya, that
feeling.
How can one man be so charismatic, so
brilliant yet so humble and fallible? It's really difficult to convey
in words what it's like to see Blue October in concert. It's almost
like a religious experience without the religion and their music
defies being pigeon-holed into one particular genre as it is such an
eclectic mix of sounds.
After doing some research on the band,
they actually were formed back in 1995 in Houston, Texas and have
since come out with 7 albums, the latest of which they're now touring
with 'Sway'.The content and progression of each album is most
definitely autobiographical. Some of the tracks on the new album that
deserve mention are 'Bleed Out', 'Angels In Everything' and the title
track 'Sway'.
Like most bands they've had some
line-up changes over the years but currently consist of Justin
Furstenfeld (lead vocals, guitar), Jeremy Furstenfeld (drums,
percussion), Ryan Delahoussaye (violin/viola, mandolin, piano,
backing vocals), C.B. Hudson (lead guitar, backing vocals), and Matt
Noveskey (bass guitar, backing vocals).
Opening for Blue October was Matthew
Mayfield from Birmingham, Alabama. There's something to be said for
someone who can hold an audience with just a man and a guitar. He did
some interesting covers of Springsteen and Nirvana, as well as some
original material.
Next up was a band called Zeale from
Austin, Texas. I'm usually not much of a fan of rap but their mixture
of hip-hop, intelligent wordplay and infectious dance beats made it
impossible not to love them. It doesn't hurt when you can work the
name of the city you're playing into your rhymes.
Then of course the mind-blowing
headliner Blue October at their only Canadian stop for they're 'Sway'
tour. No one even knew they were violently ill until they came back
for their encore. Had they not told us, we wouldn't have known. Now
that's the epitome of the motto “The show must go on”.
Here's an added clip of an interview with Justin at the beginning of the 'Sway' tour: 'Blue October setlist lays out like a documentary'
