Stampeding with Blue October
I went to see Blue October at the Calgary Stampede last night. And I'm happy to report that Calgary audiences have redeemed themselves in my eyes. Despite tornado warnings and a brief downpour during several songs of this outdoor concert, the crowd was a good size and definitely more enthusiastic than at Mac Hall earlier this year. And my 19-year-old cousin assured me that I would have no doubt about the crowd's enthusiasm if I'd joined him in the mosh pit… I'll just take his word for that! Mind you, my friend Mandy pointed out that it is Stampede and so there were lots of tourists, including folks from Edmonton (speaking of which, it was great to meet you Donna!) and probably folks from Blue October's own stomping grounds: Texas (we get a lot of Texans coming up for Stampede). Well, if that's what it takes to show Calgary audiences how to appreciate this band, I'll take it!
The concert itself was amazing, even better than at Mac Hall for two reasons: (1) Blue October played some of their older songs, not just songs from Foiled. I mean, Foiled is an awesome album but I was thrilled to hear them play "Independently Happy" (now uploaded into My Music Box in my sidebar) and "Ugly Side"; and (2) The band obviously feeds off the energy of the audience. So the more into it you get, the more into it they get. Win-win!
I was also impressed with how aware the band was about what was going on in the audience. At one point, some big guy in the mosh pit started acting like a jerk and pushing people around. And I gather there was a 13-year-old boy in the midst of the fray. Given that I'd heard of a fight in the mosh pit during an earlier Stampede concert that ended up with someone getting all bloody, I was a little worried. But Justin just said a few calm words directed at the trouble maker, saying that we're all just here for fun and to pick on someone his own size (or something to that effect). Apparently everyone in the mosh pit stopped and stared at this jerk of a guy who then just left. No fists, no blood, simply walked away. Well done, Justin.
To read my review of the Mac Hall concert, where I wax poetic about the artistry of Justin Furstenfeld as a performer and a songwriter, head over to Limes with Orange (my general blog) or the Blue October Canada MySpace blog.
The concert itself was amazing, even better than at Mac Hall for two reasons: (1) Blue October played some of their older songs, not just songs from Foiled. I mean, Foiled is an awesome album but I was thrilled to hear them play "Independently Happy" (now uploaded into My Music Box in my sidebar) and "Ugly Side"; and (2) The band obviously feeds off the energy of the audience. So the more into it you get, the more into it they get. Win-win!
I was also impressed with how aware the band was about what was going on in the audience. At one point, some big guy in the mosh pit started acting like a jerk and pushing people around. And I gather there was a 13-year-old boy in the midst of the fray. Given that I'd heard of a fight in the mosh pit during an earlier Stampede concert that ended up with someone getting all bloody, I was a little worried. But Justin just said a few calm words directed at the trouble maker, saying that we're all just here for fun and to pick on someone his own size (or something to that effect). Apparently everyone in the mosh pit stopped and stared at this jerk of a guy who then just left. No fists, no blood, simply walked away. Well done, Justin.
To read my review of the Mac Hall concert, where I wax poetic about the artistry of Justin Furstenfeld as a performer and a songwriter, head over to Limes with Orange (my general blog) or the Blue October Canada MySpace blog.
Labels: blue-october, concerts
2 Comments:
It was soooooooooo nice to meet you...I knew you'd be a doll!!
We will do it again when Blue is back in Alberta...next time we'll make more time....lol
PS. I'm totally going to smiling buddha to get my tat fixed...thank you for the heads up!
Yes, we'll definitely have to make more time next time. I just want Blue October to hurry up and come back here... I feel like a junkie in need of a regular fix of these guys!
And let me know how it goes with Smiling Buddha!
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