The City and Colour show at the Bowery Ballroom on January 13th confirmed for me what I have been thinking for a while now: Canada rules. I even considered keeping my review of the show brief. “Dallas Green is my God,†which pretty much sums it up, but then I thought you deserved a little more because I really want you to check this guy out, if you haven’t already. As you may know, the Bowery Ballroom is a small, dark cave of a venue, which suited City and Colour, the side project of Dallas Green of the Canadian post-hardcore band Alexisonfire.
William Elliott Whitmore opened the show, reminding me of some kind of Thoreau stepchild, just emerging from the woods, with nothing but a banjo and a hundred songs about life in the wild, moonshine, and women on the run. Unfortunately, while his voice was unique and powerful, his delivery was a little over the top punctuated with endless “thank yous†and a rambling mountain man twang that felt a little inauthentic.
When City and Colour took the stage, Green claimed a corner spot, instead of center stage, which I had never seen a lead singer do before. He maintained a similar level of humility throughout his performance. If anything, he was understated in his ability to move an audience of metal dudes, there because they know and love Alexisonfire, to the brink of tears, even busting out in full over the head clapping and sing-along glory to songs of heartbreak and devotion.
Green toured with a full band, each donning a different shade of flannel, and playing songs from both of his albums, Bring Me Your Love and Sometimes, and even doing an arresting cover of Madonna’s “Love Don’t Live Here Anymoreâ€. Wow. During the few times he spoke to the audience, he thanked them for listening, and this time it felt genuine. He told the audience that he wrote the songs years ago, not thinking anyone would ever want to listen to them, never mind selling out two nights in New York City. That’s hard to believe. Green’s voice is flawless. It would easily open the pearly gates above for even the surliest sinner.
“What Makes a Manâ€, torn from the most intimate of places, was definitely a highlight where Green, raw and unplugged, held nothing back. He also did a fabulously dark cover of Low’s “Murderer”. You could hear a pin drop in the room at the end, the song weighing heavy on our souls, until one ungrateful heckler, broke the silence to shout, “we love you, play your own s**t!†While Green appeared unfazed, if you were close enough, you could see a tinge of disappointment and defeat in his eyes.
Unfortunately, there were more than a few moments of distraction throughout the night where it became clear that a lot of the people in the room, hardcore fans and the most devoted of followers, felt like their life depended on hearing “Save Your Scissorsâ€. For some, their love for Green crossed the line and bordered on straight up disrespect. Despite this, Green maintained his cool, and continued to play without abandon, singing some of the most breathtaking songs I’ve ever heard.
City and Colour: website | myspace
Words and photos: Reni Papananias
Great Reni…the pictures…the review..