As with the previous post, I have copied only the parts relevant to Alan Doyle and The Beautiful Gypsies due to copyright. For fans interested in the Barenaked Ladies part of the concert I have shared the reviews where possible on my Google + page.
I have also included some information about Alan Doyle singing the anthems at the Edmonton Oilers v Montreal Canadians hockey game in Edmonton, Alberta from social media.
The first review on this post is from the Barenaked Ladies with Alan Doyle concert in Cranbook and titled “Manic Monday in Cranbrook”. The article was written by Barry Coulter and published on 27 October, 2015 in the Cranbook Daily Townsman. Alan Doyle and the Beautiful Gypsies made a big impression on this reviewer as this performance covered the majority of the review.
“…Monday was temporarily suspended in Cranbrook, on Oct. 26, by decree of Alan Doyle and the Beautiful Gypsies. Doyle (known for his Great Big Sea affiliations) and the Gypsies, followed by the Bare Naked Ladies, were expanding the weekend in a house-rocking double bill concert at Western Financial Place.
"Ain't no Monday here today," Doyle exclaimed to an enthusiastic crowd. "Feels like the longest weekend ever. When you got a rink full of people on a Monday night you know you're in Cranbrook."
Doyle and the Beautiful Gypsies played a pulsating rock set with an East Coast backbone. Doyle was joined by a five-piece band — Corey Tetford on guitar, Todd Lumley on keys and accordion, Kris MacFarlane on drums, Shehab Illyas on bass, and Kendal Carson playing a fabulous fiddle. And along with the songs from Doyle's two solo albums, they made sure to intersperse lots of Newfoundland spice — Great Big Sea's "When I'm Up, I Can't Get Down," the traditional "Lukey's Boat," the heartbreaking "Laying Down to Perish."
The very personable Doyle and the Gypsies set the bar high for the evening, but the Bare Naked Ladies (BNL) were up to the openers' challenge with a high octane set of their own.
The town of Cranbrook was a recurrent theme in the stage chatter. Doyle talked about jogging to the point of exhaustion, looking for the Cranbrook arches so he could take a selfie…
“Doyle came back on stage for "Lovers in a Dangerous Time," the Bruce Cockburn cover BNL made into a hit of their own. Tetford and Carson joined them for an Appalachian flavoured "For You."
They finished with a pop medley, including a cover of "Let It Go" that brought the house down. Both bands came out to participate in "If I had A Million Dollars."
Photograph by Barry Coulter (no copyright infringement intended)
The other review is about the Barenaked Ladies with Alan Doyle concert in Vancouver. “The Barenaked Ladies and Alan Doyle the greatest kitchen party in B.C.” history is by Leslie Ken Chu for the Vancouver Weekly and available on the publication’s webpage. Alan Doyle shared this review via Twitter. Although this review doesn’t contain any photographs it is always interesting to read what songs make an impact on the reviewers and the stories shared. I have shared this via my Google + page.
“…Starting with the uplifting opening chords of “I Can’t Dance Without You”, Doyle and his new band, the Beautiful Gypsies, were poised to make the night one to be remembered. Despite still having been on East Coast time, Doyle vowed, “We’ll have the greatest kitchen party in the history of British Columbia.” It could very well have been with hits that ranged from “So Let’s Go” (the title-track from his second solo album), “Sea of No Cares”, and of course, GBS’s best known songs, “When I’m Up (I Can’t Get Down)” and “Ordinary Day”. “Thank God for this song right now, I tell ya!” he said with utmost gratitude.
Between songs, Doyle told many stories including the wild sight of seeing someone jump in the ocean recreationally the first time the band played Vancouver. “I saw a fella do that this morning, actually.” From here, they went into “Laying Down To Perish”, a song inspired by a trip to Fogo Island, “where the oceans are very different.”
Barenaked Ladies frontman Ed Robertson made a surprise appearance, joining Doyle & the Beautiful Gypsies for “1, 2, 3, 4″. “This song won’t sing itself ,” Doyle said, encouraging the audience to complete the phrase “1, 2″ by jumping in with “3, 4!”
“It’s a long way to Heaven,” Doyle sang on the straight-rocking “I’ve Seen a Little”. But during the band’s hour-long set, Heaven didn’t feel so far…”
On a rest day on the tour Alan Doyle sang the anthems at the Edmonton Oilers v Montreal Canadian hockey game in Edmonton. As fans know Alan is frequently asked to sing the national anthems at various hockey and other events. He always received rave reviews from the fans. Alan was accompanied to the hockey game by some of his Beautiful Gypsies band mates Cory Tetford, Paul Kinsman and Kris MacFarlane. The Montreal Canadians unfortunately for Alan Doyle did not win this match. The story was shared via social media including Twitter and Instagram.
This photograph is from the Alanthomasdoyle Official Instagram account (No copyright infringement intended).
Alan Doyle @alanthomasdoyle Another fun time singing the anthem. Thanks @edmontonoilers for having me. 30 Oct, 2015.
From Twitter.
Alan Doyle @alanthomasdoyle Friggin’ cool. Singing the anthem at the Hab’s/Oilers game tonight in Edmonton. Yeha. 30 Oct, 2015.
Alan Doyle @alanthomasdoyle Habs, buoyed by what was reportedly an incredible anthem get three quick ones against the Oilers. The some other stuff happened, apparently. 30 Oct, 2015.
