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Halifax Metro Centre 2001.01.22 | |
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The Moffatts kicked off their cross-country tour in Halifax in fine style, showing off their yet-again reinvented style to an audience of old and new fans. Opened by Saskatchewan trio Wide Mouth Mason, the crowd got to their feet immediately but looked slightly confused. Unsure of the slightly older band, the young crowd put their initial apprehension behind when Wide Mouth Mason broke into their current hit single "Smile". Over-all, the reaction to the talented opening act was mixed, with eager listeners wanting to enjoy the music, but finding the sound slightly too old for their tastes.
It was interesting to note the atmosphere between opening act and main event. In a stark contrast to The Tragically Hip concert that hit Halifax only weeks earlier, the air was refreshingly clean. Cigarettes gave way to glow sticks, marijuana to camera flashes. CBC even helped rouse the crowd during intermission by having the audience shout out the "Group of the Year" nominees of the upcoming East Coast Music Awards for a cameraman, part of a filmed awards presentation the host station has planned for the Charlottetown event.
The anticipated moment arrived with a wave of shrill screams as the four brothers took the stage to one of their recent hits, "Bing Bang Boom". The band quickly followed with some of their less-known and more recent music - which did little to quiet the crowd - and made clear their departure from pop, which was perhaps the underlying theme of the evening.
The new Moffatts were effectively announced with a mid-set medley of three of the band's biggest former pop ballads: "I'll Be There", "Girl Of My Dreams" and "Miss You Like Crazy". Instead of accepting the inevitable screams of delight from the mostly female audience by singing these songs separately, and in their entirety, The Moffatts parsed them down and added a harder edge. This made it visibly clear that a Boy Band they are no longer.
With the end of the toned-down pop medley, it was evident that the Moffatt's new rock sound is here for good: much to the apparent delight of the crowd.
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The band flew into a fantastic body-shaking rendition of one of their heavier numbers "California", inter-mixed with a rousing chorus of hockey games "Heys" and passionate arm-pumping from the audience.
Despite their departure from pop, The Moffatts displayed they still can mix the best of all of their personas, effectively mixing hard rock, soft pop and even a quick glimpse of a former country-rooted past without giving reason to pause. Despite criticism by some who were quick to jump on their "boy-band" image, The Moffatts presented themselves as talented, exciting musicians who rank right amongst the best of Canadian rock.
Perhaps the biggest mishap of the evening was the crowd itself: green and unsure of the "traditions" of the concert-going experience. The Moffatts closed off their 1 ½ hour set with their strongest song to date "Just Another Phase" and received a loud round of applause as they walked off the stage. Instead of the usual encore-inducing continuing cheers the crowd simply stopped applauding and started towards the exit. Realizing that the Metro Centre was quickly emptying, the Moffatts cut short their backstage break and ran back out to give an encore. More experienced fans were glad they did, as the band gave its best performance in the final ten minutes: closing an excellent show with both a borrowed and an established number. After rocking out to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" the band finished with their mega hit "Misery", leaving the remaining audience with fond memories to depart with.
By Erin Boyle, CanEHdian.com
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