How cool would it be to get to see one of my new favorite bands in concert in another country? That was the question I kept asking myself when I heard on Canadian radio that Everclear was touring with some band called Our Lady Peace. All I could think of was how impressed the Canadians would be with a great band from Portland, Oregon. Well, that and how lucky I was to have the opportunity to see them live, while working in Ontario, Canada.
So when I returned to the office, after my day in the field ended, I immediately began asking around to recruit some of my fellow workers for what I was sure would be a great show. The only thing was whenever I mentioned Everclear, what came back was mostly confused stares. It was only after a brief attempt to describe the band and a mention of their opening act, Our Lady Peace, that I found no shortage of people wanting to attend. Most insisted on correcting me first and saying there was no way that Our Lady Peace would be opening for anyone in Canada. After some discussion on the merits of Everclear, who several of my new acquaintances from Toronto insisted on calling Euclid, we agreed on a plan to purchase tickets for about 10 people. Since the concert was almost 4 weeks away, the band comparison became an almost daily discussion.
From my perspective, there was no comparison between the two bands. I had been introduced to Everclear in 1995, when I heard their song Santa Monica while riding in a friend's car in Norman, OK. At the time, it was hard for me to believe that a 3 piece band could have such a rich sound. That statement seems absurd, once you consider that I was now across the U.S. border to the north and was actually having this discussion with a group of workers from Toronto. Duh! It seems that Canada has never been short on talented musical trios. Both Triumph and Rush hail from Canada and both are 3 piece bands with huge a sound. Both are also bands that I became very familiar with during my high school years in south Oklahoma City. That being said, the comparisons stopped there. Triumph was formed in 1975 and most popular in the 1980's, about the same time as Rush. With songs like Lay It On The Line, Fight The Good Fight, and Magic Power; Triumph established themselves as a very capable band with adoring fans on both sides of America's northern border. Not to be outdone, Rush, at the time of my writing, has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Rush created music that was almost cosmic in nature and could take the listener up close for a battle over sunlight and supremacy between species of trees in the forest. Bringing their fans along for a lyrical ride in a Red Barchetta with such great detail that one could feel the "screaming engine" and imagine "screaming through the valley" being chased by police cars. This was the Canadian music history I knew, but had briefly forgotten in the heat of my defense of Everclear. Luckily none of my compatriots were old enough to fully appreciate either Triumph or Rush.
Everclear, on the other hand, was built in the 1990's on candy-coated rock music. The lyrics from lead singer and guitarist, Art Alexakis, were designed to make very deep and difficult topics paletable for the general public. With topics ranging from abandonment as a child (Pale Green Stars) to a relative's suicide (Queen of the Air), the artful crafting and layout of the songs often left me dancing moreso than properly disturbed by the images just beyond the melody. For me, that was pure, unabashed genius. Like a friend walking up and saying "the absolute worst thing ever happened to me today" and then somehow explaining it to me so that I felt good about it. Everclear songs often started slow, then built to the brink of chaos, before finding a soft place to land. For my ear, at the time, this was good stuff. I couldn't wait to see the stage show and to see all the Canadian mouth's agape in sheer delight. As an added bonus, I would be getting to see the up and coming Canadian band, Our Lady Peace.
One of the neat things about Canada is that the radio stations are required to play a certain number of Canadian acts hourly, or at least they were in the late 1990's. I was told the law was passed to prevent their brothers down south from usurping their entertainment market completely. At any rate, it was good for me, while driving around the countryside, to get to know some of the Canadian bands. Of those bands, at the time, this Our Lady Peace outfit seemed to be most consistently hitting their stride. With a new album entitled Clumsy, and songs on the radio like the title track and Superman's Dead, it was clear that the band was talented. But translating studio work to the stage can be a bit tricky and I had never heard of Our Lady Peace prior to this trip, so how good could they possibly be?
The answer came after Everclear had left the stage. To my surprise, they had actually been the opening act and not the headliner. But when the stage was finally set for Our Lady Peace and their introduction was complete, I could not hear anything that I,or anyone in my group was saying for the roar. I also noticed, for the first time on this night, that the Corel Center had a 3rd level and I could see smiling faces peering down from it in adoration of the stage performers. I would spend the next couple of hours learning that this band, of whom I had never heard, was something truly special. They performed with a screen behind them that showed short films. The films were like grainy, silent movies and depicted an elderly man wearing pale-face and lipstick, who seemed to be some lost circus performer. He also seemed to be the character upon which many of their songs, at least for their latest album, were based. A sad figure, like those often depicted in silent movies, he was not the center of attention, but an ever-present side show in his own life. The band, however, was the center of attention and played great song after great song. They managed to achieve that studio quality sound that often leaves the audience wondering if it is live (or Memorex, for those of us old enough to get that reference).
Needless to say, more than a decade later, both my sons,who were not even born at the time, recognize Our Lady Peace songs when we stumble across them on the radio. Also, I was forced to admit that the Canadians had actually won our little wager over which part of the concert would be the best. For my concert going friends, who love live music and refuse to accept the fact that time is catching up with us quickly; if you get the chance to see Our Lady Peace, do yourself a favor and don't be late. Better still, don't leave it up to chance, the albums and songs are available for download and I can attest to the fact that some of them will stick with you for a very long time, maybe forever.
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