Tonight, I hopped in a taxi, went straight to The Commodore, and saw a big fat line up of people trying to get into a sold out show. And I, in typical music junkie fashion, took my place at the back of the line, with no ticket, no less. I was determined to get in, and with some grace, charm, and friends at House of Blues, I made my way through the front door.

Wil and Matt Good are playing the Commodore for two blistering August nights. If you’ve read any of the “ten questions” articles published by Cord, you’ll know that artists and fans alike believe The Commodore has a spooky ability to bring out the best of those on stage. What I witnessed tonight was insane.

Clutching his Gibson acoustic six string, Wil was first to hit the stage. As an ex-Calgarian, who has watched Wil progress over the years from indie pub-rocker to major label musician, I’m pleased to report that he is truly beginning to hit his stride as a grown-up rock star. The Commodore was packed, but the floor was only ¼ full (hey, it was the opening act, who most had never heard of, after all). With the stage presence, vocal control, and guitar wizardry of a seasoned pro, Wil lured the crowd. He poured heat into his performance, and before the final chords of his opening song, “Spitfire”, rang out, the floor was filled right the hell up.

Wil now performs with a fervor I’ve never seen before. I’ve chosen my words carefully here… he plays with a fervor, not an anger as others may tell you. He destroys his guitar yet nails his performance, playing each song with unwavering belief in every word found in every line of every song he ever wrote. It’s memorable and inspiring to watch, and the reason why the 1,000 person crowd went from skeptical to screaming for more by the end of his 45-minute set. During this evening’s show, I found myself not cheering between each of Wil’s songs. Instead, I simply nodded my head, as if to say to those around me “it’s about time you guys caught on.” The exception to this, of course, was at the end of his set, when Wil unleashed a particularly improvised and bluesy slide guitar rendition of “Honey Pie”. Imagine Jack White meets Will Oldham. Then imagine the crowd going wild, hungry for more.

Shortly after Wil’s set wrapped, Matt Good took the stage. For that brief moment that I watched Mr. Good enter from stage right and slowly walk to his centre stage microphone stand, I tried to size him up and assess what kind of an evening I’d be subjected to. C’mon, I had to worry… in the last few years I’ve read and heard countless stories about Matt Good. Stories about his fallout with band mates, stories about his public distaste for other Canadian artists, stories about his book writing ventures, stories about his political beliefs… but very few stories actually about the music he creates. I quickly realized, intentional or not, Matt Good’s confrontational image casts a massive shadow over his body of work. Because of this, I figured the performance would consist mainly of an excessively-dramatic Matt Good, brooding and purposefully acting disconnected from his performance as he stared down his audience.

I hate it when I’m wrong. I hate it even more when I’m embarrassingly wrong.

Matt and crew opened the set with the wildly guitar driven “Put Out Your Lights”. From the first chord Matt was lit up, without a trace of irony or distaste. He tore into his music with the passion of teenager playing his first guitar in his bedroom and with the professionalism of a Canadian music icon. The performance was as loud and sweaty as it was brilliant. Matt held court having complete control of his band and adoring fans. Matt was – gasp! - actually having fun on stage! My previous notions of Mr. Good were long gone.

Throughout the evening Matt kept the crowd constantly engaged with a well-designed set list, showcasing career highlights in a reverse chronological order. The first half of the set featured new material from White Light Rock & Roll Review, and the later half combined some of the more anathematic material from Avalanche and the Matt Good Band era. The kids ate it all up, singing along louder than the any noise the PA system could create. Playing off the interaction, the band quickly built a dynamic. Even though the entire night was unmistakably a rock show, the band was able to interject more tender moments into their performance, easily pulling on the collective heart-strings of the crowd. Can you believe it? Matt Good being tender? Matt Good being the perfect picture of rock and roll? Before tonight, I couldn’t. And now, much to my surprise, I’m a believer, dammit.

Elsewhere

By Rob Anand
Photos : Andy Scheffler
Published : March 2005.