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Well, it’s official: I am too old and/or crotchety to enjoy outdoor rock shows in inclement weather.
I have watched Blue Rodeo in an open field at the folk fest in a blinding rainstorm, complete with life-threatening lighting. I have braved dust storms and scalding heat on the bald Alberta prairie to enjoy a three-day music festival. I have slogged through ankle-deep mud to see who remembers which indie rock band.
It’s been almost a point of pride to stick it out no matter the environmental challenges. Are you even a fan if you turn tail at the first suggestion of rain on your parade?
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But last week at a triple bill at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage, featuring Cat Power, Modest Mouse and the Pixies, I was driven to abject misery by a light but persistent drizzle.
We had lawn tickets in the amphitheatre and even though I had a raincoat, the steady precipitation and un-June-like chill rendered me an unhappy camper (which basically sums up my feelings about camping at the best of times).
Jill became an ‘unhappy camper’ while enduring a light drizzle at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage last week. (Jill Wilson / Free Press)
The show was hit-filled and competent, if not inspired, but what will linger — beyond how cold my hands were — is the good company, not the bands’ performances.
Since that night I’ve been at three more concerts, all of them infinitely more enjoyable — and not just because of the lack of ambient moisture.
Winnipeg’s Slow Leaves (a.k.a. Grant Davidson) did a solo show to about 30 people at Toronto’s Cameron House that moved me to tears (it might have been the martinis talking, but I don’t think so), and while legendary British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe’s concert at the Burt was a less physically intimate affair, you could have heard the proverbial pin drop during his quieter numbers, and his duets with touring partner Ron Sexmith were sublime.
Nick Lowe and Ron Sexsmith perform at the Burton Cummings Theatre Saturday. (Jill Wilson / Free Press)
Finally, Ontario singer-songwriter Jim Bryson did a house concert this week at the cosy StuDome down the road from me; even without the not-so-surprising surprise appearance of the Weakerthans’ John K. Samson on a couple of songs, it would have been a thing of beauty, filled with banter and personality.
So maybe it’s not the rain; maybe I’ve just lost patience with the impersonal vibe of big shows.
I’m certainly not alone. Earlier this year the Black Keys cancelled their arena tour owing to poor sales, and other acts are also finding demand is down.
Stars singer Torquil Campbell commented on X: “Come on, this isn’t a mystery. You pay $200 to sit in the nosebleeds, you’re in a f–king hockey arena with zero vibes, beer costs $20 a pint and the sound is shit. It’s a hockey game with no hockey. It’s an empty corporate experience so people are skipping it.”
Luckily, we still have plenty of places to catch live music, whether it’s at the Cube in Old Market Square (where jazz fest wraps up this weekend) or at Blue Note Park, which hosts Indian City’s CD release tonight.
I’m even willing to risk a rainstorm if it means supporting local bands and small venues.
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