Crash Test Dummies met with wild cheers, boisterous fist pumps from crowd

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This article was published 24/09/2022 (1109 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“The Crash Test Dummies are in the house!” proclaimed maestro Julian Pellicano at the Centennial Concert Hall Friday night. And with that, the first offering in the WSO’s newly minted Live at the WSO series — morphed from its longstanding Pops seasonal offerings — kicked off, featuring award-winning alternative rock band hailing from our own humble Prairie city, the Crash Test Dummies.

Fresh off their 2022 world tour, the internationally renowned group founded in 1988 by front man Brad Roberts, then studying English and philosophy at the University of Winnipeg, originally consisted of Roberts; his brother Dan Roberts (bass guitar/vocals); Ellen Reid (vocals/accordion/tambourine); Michael “Mitch” Dorge (drums/samples); as well as multi-instrumentalist Benjamin Darvill. It’s fascinating to see the two musical siblings, plus Reid, and Dorge still belting out tunes 34 years later, joined by current band mates Stuart Cameron (guitars/vocals) and Marc Arnould (keyboard/vocals).

It’s also noteworthy that the Dummies’ debut album “The Ghosts That Haunt Me” (1991) that garnered a JUNO for Group of the Year in 1992, including runaway hit “Superman’s Song,” is now older than many listeners in the mixed ages crowd of 1,149, attesting to the enduring appeal of (Brad) Roberts’ artfully crafted songs continuing to speak to new generations.

After the orchestra’s “warm-up” of J. S. Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D minor,” and later, an excerpt from his “Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major,” paying homage to Roberts’ roots as a classically trained pianist steeped in Baroque counterpoint, the band took the stage for their first number, “God Shuffled His Feet,” as the title track from their sophomore album released in 1993.

Another early highlight became “In the Days of the Caveman,” providing an even better taste of Roberts’ signature, booming bass-baritone vocals, that seem to rumble right out of a whisky bottle at 3 a.m. while evoking a certain bard from Montreal, as he set aside his electric guitar to smoothly harmonize with Reid.

Lucas Waldin’s “less is more” orchestral arrangements skillfully led by Pellicano allowed the Dummies to take centre stage during other classics: “Swimming in Your Ocean,” and “Here I Stand Before Me,” and “I Think I’ll Disappear Now,” with several numbers sans orchestra, including “How Does a Duck Know?,” “When I Go Out with Artists” and “The Ghosts that Haunt Me” shining even more of a spotlight on the group.

More banter — or even some banter, including acknowledging the conductor — about the musicians’ formative years growing up in Winnipeg, tales from their decades long career and/or countless world tours, or even hearing backstories to Roberts’ soulful songs, would have made the briskly paced show pop more, and arguably less phoned in. It also became near impossible to hear all the lyrics with Roberts often drowned out by several wonky balance issues; albeit the crowd knew them all anyway, frequently heard warbling along.

The evening’s second half became stronger with the Dummies now clearly more at ease. “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead” showcased Reid’s — who also plays a mean tambourine — soaring voice, and undeniably one of the best loved hits in the Canadian songbook, “Superman’s Song,” performed by the band with world-weary resignation, and met with wild cheers, boisterous fist pumps and loud whistles from the clearly enthralled crowd.

Roberts’ gifts as a powerful singer/songwriter right in tune with the human condition were fully displayed during penultimate encore, “Heart of Stone,” joined by Reid’s vocal counterpoint and Cameron’s sensitive guitar licks. This deeply moving piece not only allowed us to hear his growling voice in all its glory, but also every single, tear-soaked word. More of these would have been welcomed to add further texture to the overall program.

In days of old, listeners would wave cigarette lighters at the end of a rock show to express their approval. Sure enough, in the 21st century version, smartphone flashlights magically appeared among the crowd, now on its feet following the finale and one of the band’s all-time hits, “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm,” lighting up the hall like twinkling stars in the Dummies’ own thoughtful, timeless universe.

The show repeats Saturday night, 7:30 p.m. at the Centennial Concert Hall.

Holly.harris@shaw.ca

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