tim’s thought property

Ah, this evening was such a delight.
It was sunny and warm, a real cherished spring sort of day. The sun set after eight o’clock, another bonus; but the real treat was seeing Sarah Harmer perform. Her tour took her from Thunder Bay yesterday, to the heart of Winnipeg this evening.
Chars and I had planned on walking, but due to a late supper, we drove the two minute distance, to find most of Westminster Ave. full of cars, and a long line of concert-goers standing outside the church. Yes, this particular tour has Ms. Harmer playing in churches all across this country. So as Chars and I drove down to Canora St. to find a spot, we had walked back to the end of the line, to wait our turns to get in the door.
About a third of the way to the front doors, as we waited in line, Sarah Harmer herself walked out of the church, and to her tour bus, a scant few feet from where Chars and I stood. It was close enough to say hi, but I figured it was probably important business that called her to the bus, since other band members were heading there too.
As it turned out, a fire alarm was tripped in the church, and the WFD had come by to sort things out. At the same time, the line was being given access to the building, so apparently there was no fire. Either that, or we were to all help put out said fire, and were given buckets and directions indoors.

Once inside, we decided to see if there was room in the balcony, since it was real crowded on the main level. After ascending the dark stairwells, we found a decent corner spot, with good sight lines. So good in fact, I spied my friend Rachelle in the front row, to stage left. I tried to wave her attention upwards, but to no avail. Since Chars couldn’t see them to assist in my waving, she suggested that I go and find out if there indeed was room on their bench. It turned out there was.
I also ran into Kira, another old acquaintance from CMU, sitting on the bench. There was a stack of speakers right in front of my spot, however, making the bench almost idyllic rather than ideal. But I asked if there was room for two, and Kira gave me a doubtful look, since I had approached the bench solo. I assured Kira that my friend was with me, probably stopping off at the washroom or something. Chars, as it happened, was in the lobby chatting away with an old friend, I had found out. I also found out that Jon K. Sampson of the Weakerthans was in the audience, for I passed him on the way to get Chars. I had returned with her, and my honesty was proven to Kira.

As the sun set, the band took the stage, and there was a lot of clapping and cheering. They opened with I am aglow, with the wonderful sound of the mandolin leading the tune. I really enjoy the sound of Sarah Harmer’s voice, and she sung each song with the appearance of ease. She made it look so easy! Julie Fader was playing keys most of the night, and adding wonderful harmonies to Sarah’s leads.
The backing band, including the likes of Jason Euringer doing backing vocals and stand-up bass; Spencer Evans playing the clarinet and the accordion; Joey Wright on mandolin, guitar, and the banjo; along with Chris Bartos on the fiddle; performed quite well together. It was a real up-beat atmosphere. When the band got to the song Oleander, Sarah asked for the lights to be dimmed. But they were connected to the washroom lights, so she had to ask permission from the audience if they would concede their sight in the washrooms for ambience in the sanctuary.
She performed a few covers throughout the night, Luther’s got the Blues, by Luther Wright, and Dolly Parton’s Will he be Waiting?. They were given a nice personalized touch, as was The Weakerthan’s Left and Leaving (which was performed with Sarah on guitar and Julie harmonizing). The accordion was taken up for the French Salamandre. I must say that the backers, each had some wonderful skills with their instruments. The clarinet was wielded a few times in a very masterful way, as was the mandolin and violin. Seeing the players so wrapped up in their music made it all the more of an experience. When the band loves what they are doing, and where they are playing, it really makes the audience feel appreciated. I’ve been to many shows where the feel was that the audience was there for the band (as is natural), but the band keeps it and presents the feeling of hierarchy. This show felt much intimate (you know with 500 people), almost like she was playing for us in a personal way.
Well, Sarah played Greeting Card Aisle, and I felt like the night was complete. It’s one of my favourites, her lyrics are so well crafted. Hmm…I also really enjoy Dandelions and Bullet Holes, there is such beautiful imagery in that one too… Needless to say, I enjoyed the selection.
By the time the band had finished playing, and had returned for their encore, they had a bit of a change up. There was a drum set that was left conspicuously vacant the entire performance, and only at the end, did Sarah doff her guitar, and pick up the sticks, and play out Lodestar while singing and keeping the beat. Ending off the entire evening was a mic-less singing of How Deep the Valley, with everyone standing. I felt that we should all be singing along, it felt like the benediction at the end of a service.
As we waited for the crowd to file out of the sanctuary, I took from the keyboard, the set list used by Julie and Jason. It was a souvenir from a great show.