Hayden
Date: November 17, 2004 Genius Five months after treating Ottawa to a solo performance, Hayden returned to the capital, utilizing his opening act, Cuff the Duke, as his backing unit. With the full band sound casting a new light on many songs and a setlist that dipped into different material, Hayden and his Elk-Lake Serenaders easily justified his quick return with a great set. This concert was my overdue introduction to the Capital Music Hall, which proved to be a solid venue. Also new to me were Cuff the Duke; but it took little time for me to be impressed. Despite main vocalist Wayne Petti's claims of being under the weather, the band set a fantastic pace, pausing only to chat with the crowd or perform one of their frequent instrument swaps. Although the quieter numbers worked well, I was most impressed by the noisy, uptempo segment that ended the set, including a closing song played on bowed guitar. Before long, three-fourths of Cuff the Duke retook the stage, with Hayden in tow. Although a few segments of the night saw Hayden revert to a solo configuration, the band's presence added greatly to the sound. I very much enjoyed hearing the drums anchor the music, with guitar, steel guitar, bass, or keyboards adding colour. The richer instrumentation found on Hayden's last release, Elk-Lake Serenade, made that album particularly suited for the arrangement. Overall, though, the input of the Serenaders always helped the mood, whether it was the smooth flow of "Dynamite Walls" or the romp of "The Hazards of Sitting Beneath Palm Trees." Despite my praise for the band, Hayden's solo offerings were also well appreciated, even if he did require several tries to nail the ending of "Elk-Lake Serenade." Hayden's comical reactions to his keyboard miscues were one of several amusing moments in the night. Although he seemed to interact with the crowd less often than in his summer show, he definitely kept the mood light between songs with a charming presence. The setlist represented the excellent new album very well, including standouts "Home by Saturday," "Woody," "Hollywood Ending," and "My Wife." Among the older fare were "My Parents' House," "Middle of July," "Between Us to Hold," and "Bass Song." The song selection offered several twists on Hayden's last stop in the city, especially towards the end of the night, with some of the strongest moments coming just before the popular sing-along of "Carried Away" or in the encores that followed. "Bad As They Seem" got a fantastic reaction, even though Hayden backed himself into a corner with improvised lyrics, "In September" was a thunderous showcase for the band, and a solo keyboard cover of "Famous Blue Raincoat" was nothing short of beautiful. For pure intensity, though, nothing could top the final song, a raw, ragged "Skates." My second Hayden concert differed from the first in many respects; but it was another amazing show. With or without a backing band, I would certainly jump at the opportunity to see the man play again. <--Prev (Eyedea & Abilities) | Next (Ron Sexsmith/Sarah Slean)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |