Great Big Sea
May 1 2006 06:00:00 AM
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I don't blog about my personal life very often,
but today I thought I'd "share the love" about one of my favourite
bands, The
Great Big Sea. They are
from St. John's Newfoundland on the east coast of Canada. They perform
a mix of traditional folk tunes along with more standard rock/pop songs.
I've seen them perform dozens of times in Toronto, Whistler, and
here in Boston. This weekend they played two shows at the Sommerville
Theatre. Each time they are here, I make sure to bring new people
out to hear them, because I want to expose as many people as possible to
these incredible performers.
And I do mean "performers".
They guys are not just musicians, they entertain during live shows unlike anyone else I've ever seen. After more than a decade of performing, they still genuinely LOVE what they do, and boy does it show. They talk to the crowd all night long, tell jokes, set up the back-story for songs, and mess with each other on stage. They give and give and give, and the audience always repays them. These are no "sit around and listen" concerts. If you want to do that, buy the CD and play it at home. Great Big Sea shows command you to dance and sing all night long. Some of my friends complained about how much their hands hurt at the end of the night from clapping so hard! All four members sing, and all play a huge variety of instruments, often switching multiple times during a single song. I'd say their roadie is the unsung hero of the band!
Here are my photos from last night's show.
Their web site has clips of many songs posted, a few I suggest listening to are: Consequence Free , End of the World (cover), Ordinary Day , Everything Shines , Fast As I Can (slow), The Mermaid (folk), The Night Pat Murphy Died (Irish drinking song) but as I pointed our above, it is their shows that make them as great as they are. If you were going to buy one album, I'd suggest Road Rage since it is taken from live performances.
Enjoy... but really try to see them live if you can, as that is what they truly shine.
And I do mean "performers".
They guys are not just musicians, they entertain during live shows unlike anyone else I've ever seen. After more than a decade of performing, they still genuinely LOVE what they do, and boy does it show. They talk to the crowd all night long, tell jokes, set up the back-story for songs, and mess with each other on stage. They give and give and give, and the audience always repays them. These are no "sit around and listen" concerts. If you want to do that, buy the CD and play it at home. Great Big Sea shows command you to dance and sing all night long. Some of my friends complained about how much their hands hurt at the end of the night from clapping so hard! All four members sing, and all play a huge variety of instruments, often switching multiple times during a single song. I'd say their roadie is the unsung hero of the band!
Here are my photos from last night's show.
Their web site has clips of many songs posted, a few I suggest listening to are: Consequence Free , End of the World (cover), Ordinary Day , Everything Shines , Fast As I Can (slow), The Mermaid (folk), The Night Pat Murphy Died (Irish drinking song) but as I pointed our above, it is their shows that make them as great as they are. If you were going to buy one album, I'd suggest Road Rage since it is taken from live performances.
Enjoy... but really try to see them live if you can, as that is what they truly shine.
