Powerhouse vocalists, powerful songs Latest album from musician Dallas Green pained but hopeful By: Eva Wasney Posted: 11:06 PM CST Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024

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Winnipeg concert goers were treated to a triple bill of powerhouse vocalists at Canada Life Centre on Thursday Night.

While Dallas Green of City and Colour had top billing, accompanying acts Ruby Waters and Nathaniel Rateliff earned a fair stake in the spotlight during the intimate, emotionally charged three-hour plus show.

At least those who arrived on time got to enjoy all three acts in full. The crowd of about 5,000 was slow to assemble — perhaps the result of a brief blast of wintery weather or limited familiarity with the openers.

Either way, the latecomers missed out.

Despite playing to a sparsely populated arena, Waters, a Toronto-based singer-songwriter, set the tone with an impassioned opening set; her rich, raspy voice carrying high into the rafters.

This is the second time Waters, who is of Métis and Slovak descent, has joined City and Colour on a Canadian tour. The first was in 2019 as a promising up-and-comer. She has since put out two EPs and released a steady stream of popular singles, gaining her plenty of airplay and a dedicated following.

Wearing a tie-dyed crop top and space buns, she performed with a three-piece band in front of a backdrop bearing her name in trippy projected letters. The jammy guitar riffs and soulful songs, such as Open Arms and Sweet Sublime, were equally trippy — in a good way.

There were more butts in seats by the time Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats took the stage.

Rateliff burst onto the scene in 2015 — seemingly from nowhere (but, in reality, following a decade of attempts with other projects) — with S.O.B., a knee-slapping drinking song from the band’s first self-titled album. That and other upbeat Americana-inspired ballads, such as Coolin’ Out, got the crowd clapping and hollering along.

Missouri-born, Colorado-based Rateliff got some laughs when he gave a shout out to his “first Canadian friend,” a pal from Winkler.

The frontman’s big bluesy timber was well-supported by a seven-piece backing band featuring a trio of brass players and the occasional tambourine. The group recovered gracefully from a brief but noticeable sound issue early in the hour-long set.

Things got downright cozy with the arrival of Dallas Green, who strummed and sang near the lip of the stage atop an array of red vintage rugs. Artsy clips and live video projections flashed across towering monoliths behind the band, giving a fitting mix of big and small stage energy.

It’s been a hard go for Green of late. In recent years, he suffered the loss of two close friends and separated from his wife. The personal tragedies informed the pained but hopeful contents of his seventh and latest album under the City and Colour moniker, The Love Still Held Me Near.

Sporting an indigo coat and long tidy beard, Green and his crystal clear falsetto started with the album’s grief-stricken opening track, Meant to Be. Yet, the setlist didn’t wallow in melancholy. Not entirely.

The St. Catharines-born singer, and co-founder of Alexisonfire, played a range of favourites from his last 20 years of solo work, including Thirst from The Hurry and The Harm (2013) and We Found Each Other in the Dark from Little Hell (2011).

The flow of the evening unfortunately suffered from two lengthy but necessary intermissions to accommodate set-up and tear down for each musician.

Still, the concert felt like a well-composed festival lineup rather than a roster of hype-bands filling time before the main event. Green is popular enough to fill a venue alone, but has a knack for partnering with artists who add value to the cost of admission.

At press time, the arena was aglow with cell phone flashlights swaying along to Green’s celebrated catalogue.

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com

X: @evawasney