This is gonna be a bit of a mini-review. We did interviews, they were great on all counts. Dinner, singing in a lobby, check them out. Afterwards, there was a show to take in. Before our coheadliners hit the stage, Spark That Screams was on. This was pretty different considering the evening in store. They used electronics in the place of conventional percussion, had bright and spirited cello bits, and generally came off as a kind of flaunty-Coldplay meets earthy-Dave Matthews.

That was it for that.

Now then, the most important thing I have to say about the Waking Eyes set, besides the fact that they are super damn cool, is that they gave an insightful answer to my “how important is the ‘woo’ in rock?” interview question. Their latest album is rife with woo. And what did they do here? Played a song in which they told us, “Just go Woo. Just go woo when we tell you.” They covered “I Am The Walrus.” That song has popped up a lot lately. Anyways, the Waking Eyes are unexpectedly energetic. Not that they don’t sound like they’re nuts, but they don’t look like they should be as nuts as they are. There weren’t nearly enough people in the room here tonight.

After that, By Divine Right came up. A significantly different line-up from how I’ve seen them the past few years, they came equipped with a new drummer, and a new bassist to take the place of their ‘regular’ guy, who was busy getting married. He’s not the only one – singer Jose Contreras is also recently-wed. He looked dapper in a white suit, as did guitar gal Colleen Hixenbaugh, freshly outfitted in a dress she picked up that very evening at one of Vancouver’s many vintage shops. Temp-bassist Mike Small, on loan from the band Meligrove, played a wicked xylophone.

In the midst of the set, a smiling Contreras chimed up with a comment that would be echoed time and time again in coming days whenever a band from out of town would come by and play in front of Vancouver’s stodgy, disaffected crowd. What’s wrong with us? Are we embarrassed, or boring? I don’t know. “I love you guys, but do you play soccer? You’re all standing there like I’m gonna kick you in the balls.” So, to get the crowd riled up, he walked off the stage, climbed onto a table, and started traversing the room with vicious guitar solos and table dancing. And clapping. The crowd mostly just watched him with amused looks on their faces but they still refused to participate. So, embarrassed, or boring?

While they went on to a ‘therapeutic screaming’ encore, the band’s disappointment in the crowd did show. They made the best of it, but the spirit seemed a little bit squelched compared with other times I’ve seen them. “No no stay in your seats, it’s okay,” Contreras remarked as they finished up the night quietly and a bit earlier than they should have. So what can I say? Wake up, Vancouver. We complain that bands pass us over, but is it really any wonder when nights like this are the result of a show in this city? Great bands, lame crowd. Don’t hold it against us, guys.

Elsewhere

By Andy Scheffler
Photos : Andy Scheffler
Published : February 2005.