Tom Cochrane
Mission BC
written by Scott Place
While the sun set sank on sleepy little Mission BC, a packed Clarke Theatre was busy rocking out to Canadian icon Tom Cochrane.
Fresh from a daytime set the day before down the road in New Westminster for Recovery Day (in support of addiction awareness) one would have no idea that there was a shred of tiredness. Starting with the ever appropriate “Mad Mad World”, Tom launched into each song with more than 100 percent. The crowd was rapt and hung on every note, eventually exploding into a fervent sing-along during “Big League” (after some audience jibes between audience and performer about the Toronto Maple Leafs).
Original Red Rider bassist Jeff Jones reminds us once again who is behind those driving bass riffs, while veteran Bill Bell did a fantastic job with so many of the ethereal slide guitar parts that are signature Red Rider. And of course Davide DiRenzo “we picked him up on the side of the road and he turned out to be a pretty good drummer” drove the rest of the rhythm from behind the kit.
The while the set featured tracks from Mad Mad World heavily, you could tell his love for standards like White Hot and Lunatic Fringe, which led a 3 song encore. Not to mention the dancing, singing and hand-waving during his biggest hit of all time, “Life is a Highway”.
While I could go into track by track, the biggest thing this humble multiple award-winner leaves you is the pure Canadiana his music is infused by and simultaneously represents. “I’ve toured all over the states and I’ll tell you, this country has more in common coast to coast than any of those places south of us”.
Tom Cochrane does that; takes all the people in a small town and unites them in a warm fuzzy blanket of humble Canadian pride with the simple tool of music and song. May his highway never end.
©nightMair Creative.com
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written by Scott Place
photos by Red Lenses Photography