Great Big Sea Hits The Landlocked Midwest Oregon

Great Big Sea Hits The Landlocked Midwest
The Patio, Indianapolis, IN; 3/30/2004
by Duke Egbert
"I wish all our first concerts in a town were this good."


Journalistic neutrality be damned, I'm going to be a shameless fanboy here. If you don't like it, well...you have my apologies.


After six years of waiting, I finally got to see Great Big Sea live this last week, and it was, in a word, incredible. Simply put, the concert was incandescent in its energy, enthusiasm, and talent, and the band proved that no matter how good they are on CD, they're even better in person.

GBS is currently doing a US tour in support of their latest CD, Something Beautiful. The tour is the full five-piece lineup of Alan Doyle, Sean McCann, Bob Hallett, Murray Foster, and Kris MacFarlane -- Foster and MacFarlane are new to the band with this CD. One expects when you add two members to a touring act that things might run a bit ragged, but there was no sign of that. Foster is at least a touring veteran, being a longtime member of Canadian quirk-rockers Moxy Fruvous, and while there were a couple of moments where he seemed a little out of sync, he recovered quickly and performed admirably. His baritone harmonies fill GBS' already harmony-laden sound out nicely.

Doyle and McCann were the two faces up front, and they were magnificent. While the Patio in Indianapolis has a stage about the size of a postcard, necessitating repeated instrument changes from offstage, it was handled with aplomb and grace. Better still, perhaps, was the crowd; I don't think Great Big Sea expected this kind of response in Indianapolis (not known to be a hotbed of Celtic or Canadian culture).


You could watch Doyle's smile widen each time something new happened; when the crowd knew the words to the old stuff, when they knew the words to the new stuff, when they were willing to dance in place in a packed, crowded, shabby, smoky club. The energy was contagious, and by the time the band hit "When I'm Up", the third song in the set, the joint was rocking.


Opening act the Pushstars were surprisingly good as well -- and when I discovered their lead singer had co-written several songs with GBS on their Sea Of No Cares CD, the connection and the chemistry became obvious. Highlights of the evening included a slow, gentle ballad take on "Sea Of No Cares" with Chris Trapper, the lead singer of the Pushstars, on guest vocals; the crowd roaring "Fare thee well!" to "Helmethead" and watching Bob Hallett's delighted grin; the crowd going utterly and completely nuts as Alan Doyle sang "I drank sixteen doubles for the price of one..." to open "Old Black Rum"; a solo acoustic version of "Lucky Me"; and the final triumphant sing-along of "Rant and Roar" to close the show. GBS showed Indianapolis a damned good time, and I think Indianapolis returned the favor to the boys from Newfoundland.


Great Big Sea remains on tour through May 22 with dates throughout the US. Check out their Web site for more information.

For more music reviews, visit www.dailyvault.com.

TicketCity

We have best tickets for all sports, concerts and theater. Buy online or call 1-800-SOLD-OUT.

1-800-Sold-Out
5912 Balcones Drive
Austin, TX
Concert Tickets

WHO WE ARE

TicketCity is a ticket broker that sells tickets for all events. Unlike Ticketmaster, who only offers tickets for certain shows, TicketCity is a service that gets you the seats you need to the events you want to attend. We take pride our work, and that reflects in the job we do for you.

WHY BUY FROM US

TicketCity sells great tickets to the most memorable events in the World. Whether you need courtside tickets to the big game or the best seats at a concert you thought was impossible to get tickets for. We get you into the events that you will remember for a lifetime.

That’s why you Never Miss an Experience with TicketCity.

A knowledgeable and experienced service, we are your reliable source for great tickets.

* Orders backed by a 200% guarantee
* Established in 1990. We’re one of the most experience ticket companies.
* We attend the events we sell, because we’re passionate about them.
* We give recommendations based on our first hand knowledge.
* We own one of the largest ticket inventories in the World.
* We offer terrific deals on many of the tickets we own.
* Our prices and service charge are some of the lowest in the industry.
* Our long history means you can trust us with your important business.

Take the risk out of buying tickets, by getting yours at TicketCity.

WHAT WE DO

TicketCity sells tickets to all events. We have seats for any event in the World. Our tickets are sold at market value, not face value, so our prices are based on supply and demand. And we offer many additional features like event hospitality and on-site deliver; that allow us to create a package which meets all your needs.

We specialize in tickets for college sports & championship events.
* All major college football teams & college basketball games.
* College bowl games, the NCAA Tournament & Final Four
* The Masters, Kentucky Derby, Super Bowl & US Open.
* Olympics, World Cup Soccer, Ryder Cup and Rugby World Cup.

Buy tickets from us for any event.
* NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball & NHL
* All concerts, theatre & special events
* Auto racing, tennis, golf, boxing and more!

BUY FROM US TODAY
* Buy online 24/7.
* Buy on the phone by calling 1-800-SOLD-OUT.
* Speak directly with our ticket experts.
* No waiting to talk to us, we’re open 7 days a week.
* All transactions are protected from fraud.
* We’re members of the BBB and our local Chamber.


We have over 100,000 loyal and happy customers to praise for our service. We offer email updates, to keep you abreast of upcoming events and offer you the latest ticket specials. And we’ll assign you a dedicated representative, that’s available to help you find the tickets you want. And if you are looking for a great gift idea, you can buy a TicketCity gift card today!

We strive to make buying tickets from us to be as unforgettable as the event itself.

– Bowl Game Tickets
– Christmas Spectacular Tickets