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.
