Joel Plaskett Emergency
Date: June 13, 2008 As the Light Dies in the West Ottawa's Westfest marked its fifth year with an expansion to five days. Included in the free concert series was a visit from the Joel Plaskett Emergency, who played a great set on the Westboro outdoor stage. Since I missed Plaskett's free show at Winterlude, I was glad to get the chance to see him four months later (and about fifty degrees warmer). Plaskett took the stage with Dave Marsh on drums, Chris Pennell on bass, and Peter Elkas on keys and guitar. Marsh is an Emergency veteran, but I had not seen the band play since Pennell joined for the last album; and while I had seen Elkas perform with his own band, I had not seen him with the Emergency. Pennell's playing seemed prominent all night, and combined with the extra kick from Elkas, this was probably the best configuration that I have heard from the band. Outdoor shows come with a curfew; and Plaskett seemed determined to cram in as many songs as he could in his set, opening with "Absentminded Melody," rolling into "A Million Dollars" with no pause, and only slowing down enough to note the monetary discrepancy with the following number, "Penny for Your Thoughts." However, Plaskett was not all business, making sure to frequently engage the adoring crowd with his usual charm, and riffing on the Westfest theme is various free form rambles. Through both the theatrical movements that punctuate his playing and his banter, Plaskett conveyed a sense of pure fun that the crowd ate up on a hot (almost) summer night. After a great rendition of "Work Out Fine," with an extended finish, the band mixed things up with "All the Pretty Faces," which Plaskett believed that they had never played before in Ottawa. The Ashtray Rock material, such as "Drunk Teenagers" came across very well, although Plaskett continued to vary the set during a brief solo interlude. He started that segment with a new ballad, "Sailor's Eyes," moved through a slightly reworked "Love This Town," and wrapped up with "Powerful Lights," the last of which helped his stated goal to touch on every album. After the band returned in mid-song, Plaskett was definitely racing the clock as he offered the title track of "Ashtray Rock"; and it wasn't long before the set wrapped up with an absolutely stellar performance of "Extraordinary." Despite the fact that they had hit 11:00, the band made it back for a one-song encore of "Come On, Teacher," capping an excellent evening. <--Prev (Queens of the Stone Age) | Next (Leonard Cohen)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |