The Dears
Date: June 30, 2007 The Best Thing Going On Going in to my twelfth concert from The Dears, I had no doubts about the band's ability to deliver a strong performance. Instead, my concern was with the setting, as the group was participating in a pre-Canada Day event sponsored by a radio station and a beer company. My confidence in the band and worries over the atmosphere were both justified, as the evening proved to be a decent but somewhat lacking concert experience. One mark in favour of the event was its choice of hosts, Mr. Leahy and Randy of Trailer Park Boys, performing in character. I wasn't the only one excited to see them; when Murray Lightburn and Patrick Krief of The Dears entered the parking lot that was hosting the show, they ran over to Randy and excitedly posed for a photograph with him. Ultimately, I found the hosts more memorable than the opening act, Roz Bell, although the clear sound during his set was promising. Sure enough, when The Dears took the stage next, they sounded very good for an outdoor event. The closed nature of this show meant that there were few actual fans in attendance. I had won my way in through the Bedouin Soundclash web site; and I only came across a couple of serious Dears fans at the front of the stage. Nonetheless, the band came out swinging with "I Fell Deep," a song that I had really enjoyed as the final song in the encore when I saw the band in November. That previous concert was a good comparison point for this evening. Once again, The Dears concentrated almost exclusively on their latest album, Gang of Losers. "There Goes My Outfit," "Hate Then Love," "Fear Made the World Go 'Round," "Bandwagoneers," "You and I Are a Gang of Losers," and "Whites Only Party" were all included in a set that fell just short of an hour. The only diversion from that album was a brief detour to No Cities Left for "Lost in the Plot" and "22: The Death of All Romance." Overall, it was a setlist free of surprises. As usual, the band was in fine form, though. Whether they felt a conscious desire to overpower an inattentive crowd or they simply know no other way to deliver the songs, The Dears were a force on stage. My vantage point on this night had me paying the most attention to Krief's passionate guitar work and Lightburn's frontman duties; but whoever I focused on at a given moment seemed to be enjoying themselves and playing great. I wish that I could say that the energy was returned in the crowd but the truth is that apart from a few fans near me, the overall vibe was flat, which dampened the impact of the music. In fact, I ended up leaving after The Dears played because I doubted that I would really enjoy seeing the last act of the night, Bedouin Soundclash. Without the full set length afforded a headliner's slot and without a suitable crowd to return the band's ample energy, this concert was bound to come up short when stacked against past Dears shows. However, the band still sounded great; and I feel very lucky to have won entry to see them play again.
<--Prev (The Russian Futurists) | Next (Bob Dylan/Radio Birdman)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |