There’s nothing better on 4/20 than a double hit…of Sloan, that is. The East Coast power pop group hit Vancouver’s Imperial with a bang on Friday night to a sold out group of mostly die-hard fans. They opened for themselves giving two full sets to the crowd, in lieu of an opening act – no one was disappointed. I’m not sure what capacity is at the Imperial, but i am sure that there are that number of sore necks around town today from bopping along to the unavoidable rhythm. Sloan equally mixed songs from their new (and twelfth) album ’12’ with classics from their previous eleven. The crowd was clapping and singing along with almost all of it for the whole night, right from the opening song from the new album, Spin Our Wheels right through Losing California and all the way to Who Taught You To Live Like That.
Watching Sloan live is the only way to truly understand the talents of these guys, both musically and as people. Each member is seemingly never seeking the spotlight, not necessarily shy of it (with the possible exception of Jay), but more deflecting to their peers. Each member is a lead singer and multi-instrumental talent in their own right, as well as gifted song-writers. And they truly do it all on stage, with each lead-singing the stuff they have written. This results in drummer Andrew coming out from behind his hard-hit seven piece kit for three songs each set and playing a hard guitar to go with his singing. Usual bassist Chris then gets behind the drums and plays like he’s a regular drummer, while still singing back-up vocals. Jay moves effortlessly from shared lead guitar with Patrick to bass. It’s simply amazing to think that most people cannot play any one instrument that well and these guys can all play multiple ones within the same show. Chris and Patrick sing on almost every song, adding multiple layers of echo and harmony, particularly when Andrew or Jay are leading.
A minimalist stage set-up with simple lights and no smoke or mirrors, just talent. The show is stripped down and simple, yet incredibly layered with Sloan’s trademark highs and lows, different paces and melodies and harmonies throughout the songs, as well as the sets. The diversity of sounds that Sloan has compiled through their 25 plus years together is amazing. They moved in their sets from almost trip-hop to straight up blues-based hard rock to power pop driving tunes to alternative. They are genre-busting – their genre is Sloan. Most of the fans in attendance seem to agree. There were a few people there who may have been looking for a few more of Sloan’s earlier hits, but most seemed to be able to sing along with even the deepest back tracks.
It’s really a testament to the longevity of these Canadian alternative icons. I overheard conversations of people who were seeing Sloan for the thirty-fifth time and the twenty-seventh time. I saw pictures on people’s phones of them and different band members backstage. Every story I heard or overheard was of how great and nice and friendly and unassuming these guys were – almost still more young Nova Scotia boys than rock stars. You don’t develop a rabid fan base like they have by accident. There were a couple slower favourites like “The Other Man”, but mostly they kept the tempo and energy up, particularly towards the end. They left the crowd hot, steamy and bothered with “If It Feels Good Do It” and “The Good In Everyone” both right towards the end.
They played a no-brainer encore and left those in attendance happy with the show, but as always, looking for more. If you’re looking for more or were one of the plenty of people outside looking for tickets last night, Chris hinted at another upcoming tour during last night’s show. So, if you’re a Sloan fan go pick up the new album ’12’ and watch for tickets for their next and likely sold out show. Don’t be left out in the cold like a few unlucky souls were last night.
written by Chris van Staalduinen
©nightMair Creative.com
all rights reserved
Written like a true fan. Like an idiot I missed it. Doh!!
PS my cats breath smells like cat food.