So friday the wife and I met up with some of our rag tag crew to check out the Hey Rosetta! and Jenn Grant show at Harbourfront. It was a free show that took an unexpected turn at the end of the night. To those who did not make it out, you really missed out on a great night of music and one really really cool moment at the end of the concert.
This is what happened...
We got there early and snagged front row centre seats (we did not sit however through the concert since it is a concert and not some prayer circle, we danced and moved). Hey Rosetta! came on at eight and blew us all away (again, since we last saw them about 2 months ago) then at around 9:45, Jenn Grant came on to play her set. Now the stuck up and ill-thought out, inflexible noise ordinances in Toronto decree that music must be stopped at live events at 11pm, and harbourfront is no exception to this cantankerous rule. So Jenn Grant (seemingly tipsy and very much giddy) wanted to play some more songs near the end of her set and began a song just before the hour struck 11...
The curmudgeons at Harbourfront cut the mikes, turned on the lights and like little dinkleberries started coming onto the stage and taking down the set. Now the crowd, us, we're for the most part nice good polite Canadian people, trying to enjoy a concert on a night where rain came and wasn't continually threatening the air. We were by the water and had just heard some damn fine music and just wanted that last song to be played. We did not disperse and in fact took out our vitriol on the evenings host, Craig Norris of Radio 3. We booed him mercilessly (yes it was a free show and no he wasn't't responsible, he unfortunately ended up being the scapegoat for the frustration) and someone even through a 1/3 full water bottle at him (as he told it this morning on Radio 3). He got pissed and walked off. The crowd still didn't leave and then the coolest thing happened...
Jenn Grant's band and Hey Rosetta! came back out. Jenn and Tim from Rosetta stood on the speakers right in front of us, everyone went acoustic and they played a song by Wilco (Jesus etc). Craig Norris even came out in the entourage and played the glockenspiel which was cool seeing as how he was treated. So everyone there crowded us and the stage (Norris estimates close to a thousand people packed in for the acoustic finale) and Emily and Nick were asked by Jenn to hold the lyrics for her and Tim (a masterful job they did by the way since it can hurt to hold your arms out for that long) while they softly sang and the crowd joined in to end the night on a surreal and whimsical note.
In short, it was fucking cool!
So they question that remains is not why does this city just plain suckdiddlyuck sometimes, or why do people often misplace their anger towards things and people who do not deserve their wrath...no the more pressing question at hand is WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU ON THAT SIMPLE FRIDAY NIGHT WHILE WE LOOSENED OUR TIES? Especially if you missed the last Hey Rosetta! show (you know who you are), what is your excuse this time?
It may have not been a seminal world changing musical event, but it becomes one of those binding musical experiences that forever root themselves in your mind, that you talk about forever and re-visit always. It was a you had to be there moment to really appreciate just how fantastic the whole thing was. Just awesome.
so to end of here, here is a picture of the Mrs and Me after she handed the lyrics notebook back to Jenn (which had quite a few MASH games on the backside) from the CBC flickr of this show.
Yeah I know, I look like a grinning monkey who can't clap properly in that picture, but hell I was still quite jazzed from the whole thing.
http://gallery.me.com/jowit#100592/IMG_0405&bgcolor=black
peacelovefreedmomjustice
-s
