A Tribute To Great Big Sea Fan Photographers...

Thank you to all the fans who went to Great Big Sea concerts and who have generously shared their photos via Twitter. I really enjoyed looking at them and they brought me lots of pleasure. They have so many talented photographers who go to their concerts.

This is probably the best photograph I have ever seen of Great Big Sea taken by a fan. Thank you so much Dave Rockwell. It says it all. Friendship, fun and a love of playing their music for us.

Dave Rockwell @MineGoes211 to @alanthomasdoyle hope you boys final got some sleep



(no copyright infringement intended)

Great Big Sea In Vancouver 2013...Some reviews.

As Great Big Sea prepare to play in Vancouver tonight I found these wonderful articles written about their previous shows earlier this year for Great Big Sea XX at the Orpheum. Both of the reviewers have different opinions about the shows, but agree on such things as the talent and professionalism of the band and different in their views of Newfoundland traditional music. The first review was from Dan Peake for the Vancouver Observer and a fellow Great Big Sea fan. One aspect I like about this review is there is no reference to the drinking culture so often mentioned with Great Big Sea fans and instead made lovely references to the boys in the band being practical jokers and pranksters in particular during their solo performances. There is also a comments and sharing available for these articles at the Vancouver Observer.

The second review was from Stuart Derdeyn available at Canada.com accompanied by three lovely photographs. Canada.com encourages comments and sharing the articles “We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting.” So I will make the comment there are five members in Great Big Sea who have been with the band now for several years and their names are Kris MacFarlane and Murray Foster as well as Alan Doyle, Sean McCann and Bob Hallett. But more importantly I am glad he feels he got his monies worth and enjoyed the fabulous show.

The fans at this concert took a wonderful collection of photographs that are available for viewing at the official Great Big Sea Facebook page. These include those taken by talented local photographer Amy Ray who photographs bands who play in Vancouver in black and white. They were tweeted and retweeted by the members of Great Big Sea on Twitter and are also available on her official internet site.

(no copyright infringement intended on the articles and photographs)

'Great Big Sea Celebrates 20 Years With a Bang from Dan Peake' published in the Vancouver Observer on 13 March, 2013.

It’s hard for me to be objective in this review. You see, I have been a fan of Great Big Sea (and Celtic music in general) for a very long time. I first saw them perform about 12 years ago. A few things have changed since then. They now have three official members (original “fourth man” Darrell Power retired in 2003), they have added a video screen, and are perhaps a bit more refined in fashion. (Including a smart-looking Sean McCann wearing a string tie and looking like a thinner version of Scott Caan). But nonetheless, here is what I have to say. It was one of the best shows I have been to in awhile.

After playing a video introduction, Alan Doyle comes sprinting onto the stage and the boys immediately break into “Ordinary Day”. The sold-out crowd at the Orpheum was on their feet within seconds. They would only sit down a handful of times during the three-hour show, and usually during the slower songs. The night only got better as they continued playing a barrage of their greatest hits including “Lukey”, “The Night Paddy Murphy Night”, “River Driver”, “Mermaid” and “Consequence Free”, among countless others. The band - particularly Sean McCann – love to be pranksters and practical jokesters, deliberately trying to distract each other during solos. This included a bit where Alan Doyle, conceding that the night was going “well” began to play an acoustic version of “I’ve Got a Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas.

In addition to being fun-loving and party animals, they are also very talented musicians. Sean McCann played three different instruments (bodhran, guitar, tin whistle), Alan Doyle four (guitar, banjo, mandolin, bouzouki); even the drummer Kris MacFarlane (supporting member for many years) got in on the action (strapping on accordion a couple of times and breaking out the harmonium for a tune). But Bob Hallett takes the cake with seven (fiddle, accordion, tin whistle, banjo, harmonica, mandolin, and bouzouki). But to show they can really sing, which they can, they played a few of their a cappella hits – such as “River Driver”, where they showed off the wonderful harmonies. Sean McCann in particular has a great range that is aptly suited for many of their vocals-only tracks.

Given that their show was three hours – including two encores – it is not surprising that the band played a few cover tunes. In a fitting tribute to a recently deceased Canadian icon, Alan Doyle lead the theatre in a short, stirring rendition of Stompin’ Tom’s “Good Ol’ Hockey Game”. In their encore, McCann and Doyle also played a song by prolific Canadian songwriter and producer Paul Hyde. They’re great at ballads too.

I found it quite impressive that GBS chose to do a show without any openers; just them playing for three solid hours – with an intermission of course. The concert was also retrospective as the video screen played some classic clips from the early 90s as well as a Newfoundland telephone commercial that featured one of their hits from approximately 1996.  All in all, a fantastic show by a fantastic group.

The 20th anniversary compilation CD “XX” was released October 30, 2012 and features two discs of 20 songs each. Disc one is “The Pop Songs”, disc two “The folk songs”. Both include some previously unreleased material.

East Coast Celtic rockers Great Big Sea, led by Alan Doyle, celebrated with their fans Sunday night in Vancouver's Orpheum theatre. Photograph by: Mark van Manen, PNG (no copyright infringement intended)

Review: Newfoundland’s Great Big Sea deliver like seasoned pros at Orpheum

Unflagging over two sets and nearly 30 tunes, running the length of its career and tastes — traditional, originals and covers such as Pete Townshend’s Let My Love Open the Door — nobody will ever accuse these guys of not Wide-ranging sets reflect two decade love affair for multiple platinum artists

By STUART DERDEYN,  copyright POSTMEDIA NEWS

Orpheum Theatre, Sunday

Never straying too far from the informal kitchen-party jams in Petty Harbour that the band formed out of, Newfoundland’s Great Big Sea has carved out quite a nice place for itself.

The band’s 10 albums have never been anything more than collections of the kind of traditional and folk-pop music of the sort that Newfoundland is fairly celebrated for. It gets college kids thirsty and makes bar owners happy as can be. This is an excellent recipe for long term work, if not massive success.

Two decades on, vocalist/guitarist Alan Doyle, tin whistle/bodhran player Sean McCann and accordionist/fiddler Bob Hallet still evoke that good time drinking mood with a proven mix of pop and traditional songs. It has made the band multiple platinum artists in Canada.

Touring in support of its recent hits and more compilation XX, the band played two lengthy sets at the Orpheum Sunday night that had the packed house on its feet before the band even bounded on stage to Ordinary Day. One of the band’s most popular tunes, it was the first of many, many singalongs in a show that was nothing less than a celebration for the band and the crowd about their 20 years together.

With a swinging rhythm section backing the trio, and adding two more vocals to the mix, the five-part harmonies just kept on coming through stomp-alongs such as Heart of Hearts and a downright messy but fun Going Up. It’s not hard to get the songs confused at times for their similarity, but this is one of the strengths of Great Big Sea. Clap along, bounce in the aisles and smile. Leave statements and poetry to the Pogues. Or McCann, who can really nail the traditional sea shanties such as England and The Night Pat Murphy Died, both highlights of their respective sets.

As Doyle noted more than once and the big lit up twin Roman numeral XX proclaimed — this was all about the two decade love affair.

A lot of good stories and humour kept the laugh track going all night. Particularly good was the preamble to what Are Ya At? The band’s first self-penned hit — “We sold dozens and dozens of copies,” noted Doyle. Not to mention scoring a provincial telephone company advert that they played on screen. It was pretty ridiculous.

Unflagging over two sets and nearly 30 tunes, running the length of its career and tastes — traditional, originals and covers such as Pete Townshend’s Let My Love Open the Door — nobody will ever accuse these guys of not working for their money. They deliver like seasoned pros without ever leaving the impression that they are anything but gloriously happy about the job. That is pretty infectious for an audience.

Lyndahere, Ethics And The Right To Privacy…Some reflections.

@lyndahere wrote “Oh yes, and the videos too. Every Grand Tale deserves a great soundtrack”…16 August 2013 “Whether I Could Win You Forever If I Tried. Home is Where The Heart Is (Alan’s Mallard Cottage “Shag The Smoke” Gig and Great Big Sea On George Street. Between The Rock And A Hard Place. 

As @lyndahere or Lynda Elstad wrote this story and provided links to her bootlegged videos on the Internet of Alan Doyle and his parents performing at a fundraiser in Quidi Vidi, St John’s Newfoundland for Mallard House they could be seen around the world via the Internet in a range of different forms including videos, photographs and downloaded on mp3 players. Bootlegged recordings were made of their performances and loaded up onto the Internet allegedly without permission and can now be seen, heard and downloaded in the mp3 format at and at other sites. Lyndahere is distributing her bootlegged recordings by loading them up onto different sites and making them available and is allegedly in breach of the copyright act.

It is absolutely disgraceful Lyndahere filmed people who are not professional entertainers who were at a charity event with their family and without allegedly asking and then loaded it up onto Youtube and other  sites also without their permission. Alan Doyle and his parents are aware of the risk of doing anything in public with their family with Lyndahere around, but surely they can do something for their family without having it filmed and distributed. Lyndahere has some serious issues with ethics, morals and values and no concept about the right to privacy. What does that mean the right to privacy and when is it breached? I look forward to finding that out.

Just like everybody else I have an imagination. I don’t think I have lost it or left in some place I can’t find it. I hope I can still use my imagination to imagine what Great Big Sea would be like in concert. Yes I think I can imagine a Great Big Sea concert anywhere in world based on a collection of real life concert experiences, images taken by wonderful photographers both professional and fans, the words of journalists and fans and my knowledge and familiarity of their music. I like my imagination and I like to use it. Thousands of people tell stories about music concerts in all kinds of ways without illegally bootlegged videos. I am interested in how people tell these stories and the methods they use to tell them. For me Lyndahere’s bootlegged videos are not essential for me to interpret a Great Big Sea concert experience anywhere in the world as she believes they are. Personally I prefer a more inclusive story and unbiased story.

Picture Problems...

Concert photos

I seem to be having some problems with the photos on Internet Explorer and Firefox. Some photos show up sometimes on one but not the other. I am sorry about this. 

Or I may have someone who doesn't like me using photos (it is not the copyright holder as they show up on other Internet browsers. Once again there is no copyright infringement intended). 

It is only a recent problem. They only seem to be pictures of Great Big Sea in concert. So what is new?

Liz Smith.

PS After checking my previous posts I seem to have a problem with nearly all of the pictures I have used of Great Big Sea in concert. And they are not her photos Oh My !!!

Great Big Sea...Fandom past.

Before @lyndahere or Lynda Elstad and I and Blogger, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites there were Great Big Sea fan bloggers documenting their experiences travelling the world (well Canada and America anyway) attending Great Big Sea concerts over a number of years and supported by photographs. I have written about blogs before and in particular music blogs before but not in the Great Big Sea fandom world. Some of the fans were fans and superfans for many years and their contribution should not be forgotten. Many of them have since moved on and abandoned their blogs. Some fans developed other interests and incorporated them into their blogs as people do. Other fans (although abandoning their blogs) still remain fans and are around on the outskirts on the fandom interacting with social media. These blogs provide an insight into the early years of the Great Big Sea fandom, the fans themselves and how the fandom operated.  

At the forefront of blogging in the Great Big Sea fandom world are the founding members of Great Big Sea themselves. I have never really looked at the early blogs posts of Alan Doyle, Bob Hallett and Sean McCann. Bob Hallett’s blog posts evolved into a recently published book “Writing Out The Notes: Life in Great Big Sea and Other Musical Misadventures” which I have read and loved. There are various interviews on the Internet on how he moved on from writing blog posts about his life and adventures and became more interested in developing these into a book. I particularly enjoyed his comments in an interview he gave about why he wrote the blog and book and that it was a more detailed and personal way of telling stories that might help people get out of their own head space for a while. Alan Doyle is currently writing a book and I wouldn’t be surprised if they also provide a basis for his story from his perspective on projects not only with Great Big Sea but about his other musical and movie adventures too.

The mother of all blogs was Anna’s Great Big Sea Philly Fan Site. This blog provides some interesting outlooks into the world of GBS fandom during the last decade. “There will be an extended hiatus thru 2012 in preparation for the 20th Anniversary Tour in 20113. Bob is writing another book, Alan making a solo record, and Sean is touring on his 2 solo albums. Murray is touring with his other band, The Cocksure lads and Kris is playing with other bands also until GBS gets back on the road.” Firstly, GBS occupied a large part of the blog but they also provided a look into the fan’s personal and family life. Although GBS was a large part of her life and that of her family (husband and children) for many years it was not her entire life. The blog documents her annual holidays to Newfoundland over several years and her trips following the band. The blog also provides some biographies, recent information, some reviews and photos and a significant piece of history the official press release from the day Darrell Power decided to leave the band. A copy of this is provided below. Despite the blog last being updated on the 29 August 2011 there is no mention of Lyndahere and her blog Between The Rock and a Hard Place on the list of fan blogs. There is a picture of Lyndahere in a group a fans on the blog which states that she was known but there may have been tensions between her and other fans way back then.  The picture is copied below.

The second mother of all blogs is ‘Welcome to GBS Boston’ a fan site run by a Boston fan. “We're here to Rant & Roar about the most famous band from the island of Newfoundland, Great Big Sea!  Their unique blend of traditional Newfoundland music and their own original songs has proved to be very popular in Canada, with more than a million copies of their albums sold to date. They have headlined countless sold-out concerts, performed numerous times on national TV, and won many many music awards”. These bloggers provide a great range of photos, tour details, album and DVD information, news, reviews and other information. The blog also provides a link to other Great Big Sea fan blogger sites including the above blog indicating there may have been a community of Great Big Sea bloggers and superfans not only in Canada and the US but in other countries such as the UK, Germany and even Japan. The blog also talks about two groups of fans which it thanks for their contribution “dozens of BAIGLS (Boston Area Indigo Girls Listees) and NEUDLS (New England Ultimate Dar Listers)”. I don’t know who they were but that is the subject of another blog. This blog was created in September 1998 and last updated in March 2007. Noticeably absent again is any reference to Lyndahere’s blog Between the Rock and A Hardplace.

Fans at Canada AM Fortune's Favour release in 2008. Lyndahere on the right perhaps.

(The picture was blocked and an ad replaced with it. I did not give permission for advertising).

Official Press release: For Immediate Release Friday, Jan. 10, 2003 Great Big Sea’s Bassist To Pursue Future Off The Road (St. John’s, NL) -- After ten years of non-stop recording and touring, Great Big Sea’s bassist Darrell Power has decided to conclude his affiliation with Great Big Sea. “I have chosen to pursue interests, musical and otherwise, off the road and closer to home for the foreseeable future”, says Power. “It was an amicable decision and the right one for me at this time.” The remaining founders of the group, Alan Doyle, Bob Hallett, and Sean McCann will continue to perform and record. A replacement bass player will be hired for live appearances. "Darrell has been a great driving force in the band and will be missed,” says Doyle. “But being in Great Big Sea is an all consuming job and we respect his decision to devote more time to his family, " adds McCann. Great Big Sea just completed a highly successful tour of Canada this Fall, visiting over 40 cities and performing for over 100,000 people in promotion of its fifth studio album Sea Of No Cares . The album debuted at #1 its first week of release at Canadian retail, garnering further critical acclaim and bringing Great Big Sea’s total album sales to over one million units sold. The group was recently nominated for seven 2003 East Coast Music Awards (ECMA), including Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year and Group of the Year.last year, the band has also headlined over 100 concerts and festivals in major cities in the US and Europe. We wish Darrell well and many happy moments with his family. He's missed many "firsts" this past year and deserves some down time to enjoy little Ben and the new baby. Good luck to you, Darrell in whatever you pursue. We will always love you, your affable nature, your stage antics and your musical ability. Thanks for the memories.

George Street Festival, 2013...Yes I wish I was there.

AlanDoyle @ Alanthomasdoyle on Twitter “GBS XX Sold Out in St.John’s for the second time this year. Wow. Many Thanks so much @TheDardanelles at 8 GB 9.15 ish. Lets git it on”.

What a treat for St John’s residents and visitors last night with the opening of the George Street Festival and all the bands, musicians and artists appearing there. The Canadian band Barenaked Ladies opened the festival. Soon after the band’s performance Twitter and social media pages were alive with photographs of the performance. Alan Doyle made an appearance with the band on stage and at a charity event earlier in evening to raise money for Mallard Cottage, a historic house in the village of Quidi Vidi turned restaurant. Great Big Sea are to close the festival later in the week. Yes I wish I was there walking the streets of St John’s listening to wonderful music, having a drink in one of it’s many fine drinking establishments and soaking up the atmosphere. This post is a record of what happens through the eyes and words of anyone who well cares to write about it and take photos whether they are fans or performing there more for my own record rather than anyone else.

What did Great Big Sea say about the George Street Festival on Twitter…

Greatbigsean@greatbigsean “and so we end right back where we started. Good night George Street…good night”. August 7 2013

AlanDoyle@alanthomasdoyle “Wow. Not sure what to say about a Sod Out show on George Street tonight. How about Thank You. Thank You All”. August 7 2013

BobHallett@bobhallett “George St was amazing last night – we are humbled by the love; and big thank you to the many friends who later came and sang at @Erinspub” August 7 2013

What did the fans who went to see Great Big Sea at the George Street Festival say on Twitter...

AllanHawco “The lads @greatbigsea Rocked George St last night. Thanks to @alanthomasdoyle for an awesome show. Happy regatta day to all in St John’. August 7 2013

DoreenMoyst@DorreenMo @bobhallet @Erinpub You rocked the crowd! Thanks for the fantastic show. Cheer!! August 7 2013

ValerieHarnum@ValerieHarnum @bobhallett @Great_Big_Sea @Erinspub No thank you guys!! You were amazing…as usual!!! Loved loved loved the show. August 7 2013

Amelia@nutmeg74 Fantastic evening. Grilling for the masses @NDP Pre-Regatta BBQ at Quidi Vidi @Great_Big_Sea at George St Fest and now relax at the Duke. August 7 2013

NatalieHobbs@DanceNatH The crowd loved ya @Great_Big_Sea @GeorgeStLive. Thanks for the 2^nd encore. Awesome way to end George St Festival. August 7 2013

LindsayGrimes@lindsaay_grimes At the Great Big Sea concert on George Street in St. John’s. It’s so crowded but having a good time? August 6 2013 

What the fans saw at the Great Big Sea concert at the George Street Festival on Twitter and Youtube…(have included some Youtube videos from those who are not professional bootleggers like @lyndahere)

George Street @GeorgeStLive wrote on Twitter See pics from #gSF2013 on our official FB: httop;//www.facebook.com/georgestlive incl. @greatbigsea and others....August 8 2013




Great Big Sea close the George Street Festival from the official Twitter site of GeorgeStreet @ George St Live (no copyright infringement intended) .

Alan Doyle with the Barenaked Ladies who opened the George Street Festival.

 

George Street @ GeorgeStLive (no copyright infringement intended)

 

Alan Doyle and the Barenaked Ladies perform at the Quidi Vidi fundraising from James O'Brien on Twitter (no copyright infringement intended)

Article 1

CBC Newfoundland Labrador provided fans with a fabulous slide show of the opening night with the Barenaked Ladies in George Street.

CBC Newfoundland Labrador

“1^st night of 2013 George Street Festival” posted August 2. (no copyright infringement intended)

“Ready ... set .... rock.

The 2013 George Street Festival is underway, with the Barenaked Ladies taking the stage on Thursday night.

A full slate of musical acts is scheduled to appear nightly.

The festival wraps up on Tuesday, Aug. 6, with homegrown favourites Great Big Sea”.

Article 2

The Independent newspaper in St John’s wrote this interesting article about the George Street Festival including a brief mention about Great Big Sea’s performance to close the festival. Of particular interest was the action taken by the employees of the major and exclusive beer sponsor Labatt who were striking to gain a fair collective agreement. This article also highlighted to me how interconnected the music scene is in Newfoundland. As a fan of Great Big Sea and following them on Twitter I have been introduced to a lot of other fabulous Newfoundland music talent that were at this year’s George Street Festival like Barenaked Ladies, the Dardanelles and Hey Rosetta. The article also has photographs attached at the bottom on their site.

“George Street Fest closes with a local, flavourful bang” by Samm Joyy and Justin Brake of the Independent, posted August 8 2013. (no copyright infringement intended)

With local acts Hey Rosetta, Great Big Sea, Repartee, The Dardanelles and Dave Whitty Band, the 2013 George Street Festival offered up a diverse selection of the province's best during its final two nights.

On Tuesday evening, with many taking their chances in the annual game of Regatta Roulette on the eve of St. John’s popular annual sporting event and last-minute-maybe-municipal holiday, Great Big Sea closed out the George Street Festival with a solid performance in front of a sold-out crowd.

The previous night, following four days’ worth of top notch headlining acts like Barenaked Ladies, Glass Tiger, Shanneyganock and George Thorogood, Newfoundland’s other band – Hey Rosetta – set the stage for the GBS finale with its own rousing performance, which undoubtedly demonstrated to some unsuspecting tourists in attendance the Island’s musical diversity.

Though it has brought in world class performers, the George Street Festival (GSF) has always found its strength in curating a potpourri of NL’s best, one or two blasts from the past (this year, Glass Tiger, Honeymoon Suite and Thorogood and the Destroyers), and internationally-recognized names like the Barenaked Ladies.

This year was no exception, especially regarding the festival’s local contingent.

Tuesday, Aug. 5 – Great Big Sea / The Dardanelles / Dave Whitty Band

On Tuesday evening local act Dave Whitty Band made their GSF debut and warmed up those who gathered in front of the stage early on. Whitty, a St. John’s native who’s spent time in Toronto, offered a mix of new tunes and a handful of songs from his 2011 EP Let It Rest with support from his band, featuring members of other local acts Baytown and At Ship’s End.

If there was any confusion among visitors as to the present state of Newfoundland music, The Dardanelles surely would have reaffirmed some expectations and destroyed some stereotypes at the same time, with their take on contemporary traditional music. Led by front man and CBC Radio host Tom Power, group readied the crowd for Great Big Sea, with band member Emilia Bartellas’s fiddling mastery garnering more than a few cheers from excited festival goers.

Between sets people pushed to the front gates and launched into the customary “Great Big Sea, Great Big Sea” chants, much as they did for Rosetta the previous night. Before too long Great Big Sea took the stage and spit out song after song from their recent 20th anniversary album XX, a collection of the band’s most beloved songs.

The audience clapped and tapped their toes to classics like When I’m Up, The Night Pat Murphy Died, Sea of No Cares, and their own rendition of Pete Townshend’s Let My Love Open the Door. Great Big Sea filled the street with high energy and good spirits song after song. It’s no shocker the band has endured a demanding industry for two decades, if the dedicated fans, young and old, who lined the street were any visual representation of the band’s success.

Festival organizers couldn’t have chosen a better act to end the week. A homegrown, expectation meeting, feel good band like Great Big Sea was the perfect finale to a week of music, celebration and appreciation of the talent hat seeds from Newfoundland soil.

Monday, Aug. 4 – Hey Rosetta / Repartee

The early evening rain wasn’t enough to keep festival goers away from downtown St. John’s Monday evening, where local acts Repartee and Hey Rosetta headlined the festival’s second last night. Fans sporting rubber boots and rain gear filled the street through Repartee’s set, and by the time Hey Rosetta took to the stage shortly after 9 p.m. you were hard pressed to find some wiggle room.

Outside the front gates striking Labatt employees held signs in protest of their company’s deal to hold exclusive beer sales rights at the 2013 festival. A pamphlet they were handing out read: “Local workers of Labatt are currently striking to achieve a fair collective agreement. With worldwide profits of over $9.4 Billion, Labatt and its parent company are demanding major concessions from worker in our province. It’s not justified. We are asking for your support. Please do not buy Labatt products during this strike.” Inside the gates, people seemed to be consuming beer as abundantly as ever, but between sets on Monday evening one concert goer was overheard saying they were drinking liquor instead of Labatt beer in support of the striking workers.

Their first time playing the festival, Repartee did not disappoint. With a tight stage presence – a result of non-stop touring – the band energized the crowd with songs like Hello Hello Hello and Conversation Piece from their latest album, Hello Hello Hello. I Would Die Before You, from their 2011 self-titled album, was also a hit, as was some of the band’s new material and their take on Beyoncé’s Crazy in Love. Lead singer Meg Warren, known for her excellent stage fashion, outdid the audience’s ponchos and waders, sporting sparkling streamers that reflected the remaining daylight.

After a short wait, the thousands in attendance greeted Hey Rosetta – St. John’s most popular rock export – with sparklers and cheers, an almost re-enactment of the band’s music video for the song Yer Spring, from its 2011 album Seeds. The audience swayed and sang along, enjoying the company of strangers on the blocked street.

Rosetta performed a few numbers from Seeds and its sophomore album Into Your Lungs but offered up a hefty selection of new material, introducing titles like Belle of Batoche, Alcatraz, and Harriet. With the help of the organizers of The Victoria Park Lantern Festival, illuminated lanterns were paraded in front of the stage and through the crowd as the band performed Little Shove for the first time to its hometown fans. The new songs were well put together, as if the band had been performing them as often as their earlier material, a notable achievement.

As the catchy chorus of Red Heart rang through the street, illuminated beach balls were thrown amongst the crowd.

Rosetta ended the show with the hopeful lyrics of Bandages, leaving those in attendance on a positive note and with smiles on their faces.

Great Big Sea XX Summer In Review...Toronto and Ottawa.

The first part of the Great Big Sea summer tour concerts has just finished and members of the band where back home in St John’s, Toronto and Halifax taking a much need break. I had decided to take a look at some of the reviews and photos placed on the Internet by professionals and fans alike.

The first review was of the Ottawa Blues Fest in Ottawa by the Ottawa Sun newspaper July 12, 2013 copied below. Accompanying the review is a slide show of some of 25 of the most amazing photos I have ever seen including Great Big Sea and other artists who performed at the festival including the Waterboys. The first thing I noticed about the collection of photos of Great Big Sea there were photos not only Alan Doyle but Sean McCann and two of Bob Hallett which were copied below. Pictures of the crowd during the day and at night were included.

The second review was by Samantha Wu for the concert at Molson Canadian Amphitheatre in Toronto on July 13. I really enjoyed this review of the concert which was a lovely balance between her personal engagement with their music, some favourite moments and an insight into the history of some of the songs and her perspectives on Canadian music within the world scene. Alan Doyle talked about “What Are You At” a silly song about how Newfoundlanders say hello. As I am not a fan from Canada I was never really sure whether it was a makeup or a serious language saying. There was plenty of detail about what songs were played and how they were interconnected together. Absent from the article were photographs but her words captured what happened wonderfully. Thank you Samantha Wu.  The article is called Great Big Sea – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, Toronto and can be found at www.lithiummagazine.com.

'Great Big Sea teach Ottawa al about the East Coast Kitchen Party' by Aedan Helmer published in the Ottawa Sun on July 12, 2013. (no copyright infringement intended)

Bluesfest pulled off the trifecta of all-star Canadiana Friday, after perennial festival stops by Rush and The Tragically Hip — and with festival stalwarts Blue Rodeo and Metric giving it a miss this year — as the boys of Great Big Sea brought their own special brand of island party to Lebreton Flats.

“Let's get this party started!” yelled Alan Doyle in his trademark gruff baritone as 20,000 fans screamed along. “This is Great Big Sea, 20 years in the making — and 20 years of coming to Ottawa.”

And with no better place to celebrate such a momentous anniversary than at the festival also marking the end of its second decade — with both paths crossing on many a memorable night — Doyle, Sean McCann and Bob Hallett, with bassist Murray Foster joining the ranks in front of a crack backline, the band seemed genuinely swept up in the occasion.

They seemed equally enthralled to share the bill with The Waterboys, a band who each member has acknowledged as a formative influence, and one that made for a perfect pairing on Friday night, with both groups melding expertly-crafted rocky-edged tunes with the traditional reels and sea shanties from opposing Atlantic shores.

After warming up the crowd right with a jig, it was headlong into the hit Ordinary Day, with the traditional bodhran bounce of Donkey Riding wedged between another megahit in When I'm Up I Can't Get Down.

McCann's The Night Pat Murphy Died had the fans slurring along in all their beer-swilling glory, with more than a few drops spilled on the all-out barn dance of Heart of Hearts, followed by McCann's affecting ballad England.

For the long-serving, near cult-like fans of The Waterboys, the rarity of their idol Mike Scott's visit to Bluesfest was reason enough for celebration.

Enlisting longtime musical partner in fiddler Steve Wickham, and a group of New York musicians to form the version of The Waterboys that will tour North America for the first time in eons, Scott took fans on a whirlwind tour through his own considerable canon, while pieces of his latest passion project — setting the poems of W.B. Yeats to music — made their debut on these shores.

True to his own restless spirit, Scott brought the best parts of his multiple personalities in what disciples have alternately dubbed “The Big Music” and the “Raggle-Taggle” band, reeling off cutting Celtic traditional tunes in the midst of his big, blazing rock sound that gave rise to such diverse devotees as World Party, U2 and, on these shores, Great Big Sea.

But to split a life's work into two such distinct divisions would be fallacy, as Scott proved himself equally adept at either, while showing that within those two worlds, he's a master of many trades.

Looking old school cool in striped slacks, navy jacket and shades under a black fedora — complete with the literal feather in his cap to go along with the multitude of figurative ones — Scott made amends for his decades-long absence right from his welcoming.

Rock's poet laureate had fans in the throes from the opening strains of Strange Boat, with Scott's clever lyric — “We're sailing on a strange sea / Blown by a strange wind / Carrying the strangest crew that ever sinned” — ringing clear and true.

He dipped into the deep well of the classic Fisherman's Blues album again with the lilting title track, with Wickham easing from traditional fiddle reels to electrified rock violin on the jagged edge of A Girl Named Johnny.

The “love song” The Girl in the Swing, drawn from The Waterboys' 1983 eponymous debut, began an earnest ballad and ended up in a swirling post-prog haze, with Scott looking and sounding a bit Bob Geldof's bile-spitting “Pink” while Wickham emulated Wall-era Floyd orchestrations.

Scott pulled out the blues-driven I'm a Freak — “This is a blues festival, right?” — and jumped effortlessly between signature shanty Raggle Taggle Gypsy and the Dylanesque We Will Not Be Lovers.

The show had its theatrical elements as well, Wickham and guitarist Jay Barclay donning black occult masks and trading off solos in a pagan danse macabre, with Scott joining the masquerade at its climax for a brooding recitation.

The shining The Whole of the Moon slithered into a new tune from a forthcoming album that's “just been written and fine-tuned,” with the good-humoured I Can See Elvis striking a sharp contrast to the ominous closer Medicine Bow, which in turn formed a pleasant contradiction with his choice for encore, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, the singalong introduced as one of Scott's favourite songs.

“It's been a pleasure playing for you,” Scott said. “I hope we can come back soon to play in some old theatre or a funky club where they can squeeze us all in and we can all get to know each other better.”

A most tantalizing proposition.

Some amazing photos from the Ottawa Sun (no copyright infringement intended) The photos are the property of Errol McGihon/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency).