Winnipeg August 31, 2006

Greetings from the centre of Canada everybody. Winnipeg was more like Windypeg today, but that stiff breeze blew in our special boy, much to the delight of the fans at Silverado’s – the show was moved there from the Garrick Theatre. I was initially bummed that my two under-age sons, (now Todd-wise in their own right) were unable to take in the show. The Garrick is a 600 seat all ages venue, and Silverado’s is a large bar not unlike the Starlite or Whiskey, but the venue shift was more in keeping with the other venues one would expect on an HOB tour, so I guess it figured… I won’t repeat the playlist. It was identical to the Vancouver show, except Love of The Common Man wasn’t acoustic; it was solo Todd on the green monster. I should briefly explain I’ve been a fan from AWATS days, and have been fortunate to see TR seven times over the years, mostly in Detroit and a couple of times in Toronto. It’s so great that he threw this little tour together -- I wish he could do Canada more often. I always go to see him with an open mind, and I’m never disappointed, whether it’s with 16 or 18 thousand others, or in this case a few hundred in a suburban pub. Winnipeg Todd was in fine form, both vocally and on the green monster. I found the sound a little thin at the beginning – Jerry’s snare just wasn’t up there, and the boys looked a little like it was just their 4th gig… and it was! But you know why we love the guy. The between song banter was casual, comical, and Canadian in that bilingual way that’s so us. I read somewhere further west the Lunatic Fringe cover was “pandering to the crowd”. What was that guy smoking? We thought it was a well played great little tribute to a big western Canadian hit, and it was well received here. (Tom C. comes from Lynn Lake Manitoba by the by…). Of the 7 times I’ve seen Todd, I’ve never had the pleasure of hearing him do No. 1 Lowest Common Denominator before. It smoked so hot I felt like the Velveeta Cheese melting… fabulous. Great extended solos on Fascist Christ too. Hawking was a vocal standout. World Wide Epiphany was extremely well done -- hard to imagine without keys, but it was pleasantly full and ethereal as it was meant to be. The bar is circular in shape with a circumferential balcony. We had a great view from up top and the sound was decent – not at all too loud. But when I moved to the main floor centre and stood with the faithful, it was fantastic. The reverb and all the subtle fingering and whammy bar work Jesse was doing was much easier to appreciate, as was the sound on Jerry’s kit (thankfully beefed up midway through the show). They aren’t toting around tons of gear. Get yourself in a good spot to hear everything and they won’t disappoint. As Todd said himself, they “felt a little loose” tonight, and the relaxed atmosphere made for a good time and a lot of laughs. We noted Kenny Shields (Streetheart), Glen Willows (Harlequin) and a few other local rock celebs and jocks in the crowd. But mostly just folks who knew the tunes and enjoyed the 35 year trip down memory lane. I was really happy to see Todd playing so well and singing so great – you know how dicey it can get when we’re 50 and our heroes are getting grey. There’s a lot of miles left on our boy yet. Heads up eastern Canada – you’re in for a great treat. Show the man you still care. And thanks to Todd for making it to town. Come back soon so my boys can have their thrill too…