Pioneer on the Internet – Sean Gursky

Leading up to the November 14, 2009 Matthew Good concert at Shaw Conference Center I listened to recordings of Good’s performances in Edmonton from over the years. The improvement in recording quality aside, there was something special about those older shows that encourage me to replay them frequently. It was like a certain chemistry on stage, a feeling or chaos as the band knew a large back catalog and it was very possible to hear “Suburbia” or “Carmelina”; or even that older material from the former Matthew Good Band sounded fresh and interesting.

A few more albums have been released in the last few years and the studio (and live) band have been replaced with new faces. I do not know what the catalyst was, but there seems to be a difference in enjoyment of shows over these last few years. Saturday was my 23rd time seeing Matthew Good perform over the last since 1998; and it was almost to the week that he performed there a decade ago with Moist and Gob.

Saturday night was a good show but I don’t know if it was a great show. Perhaps for the casual Matthew Good fan it gave them everything they wanted to hear, or maybe it converted people to become more interested in his work; and if that happened then the show was a success. I feel I am the minority in the audience when it comes to set lists and what I would like to hear and playing to my tastes could alienate the other several thousand in attendance.

I consider the March 23, 2006 acoustic set at Horowitz Theatre one of the best he’s done, and the October 2005 three night stand at the Starlite Room spectacular. The Pepsi Taste Tour from the summer of 1999 at The Rev was a part of an amazing day and the performance was the first time I had heard material from Beautiful Midnight (the show was prior to the albums release) and that will always be a show held in high regard. Those performances only had a few “never hear that again” moments, and everything else was fairly standard; so what does it take for a Matthew Good performance to stand out amongst them all?

Saturday night had a mix of new material and fan favorites. The new songs from Vancouver sounded great. The crowd responded well to them and they really evolved to something else on stage. Underplayed favorites like “Giant” and “Everything Is Automatic” made for a high energy encore. I think longer songs like “Avalanche” or “Empty’s Theme Park” may be a little too cumbersome to play for a large audience (especially in a bigger venue like the Shaw Conference). Perhaps the attention of those in attendance wanders during an eight minute song, but that is their loss because long Matthew Good songs is a specialty and they sound great live.

By the standard of past shows there was very little banter or political commentary. We were treated to the “pirate and ninja story” as well as some other musings that Matthew had with his band mates. When I look toward the stage I may not see Christian, Pat or Rich, but Matthew is having a good time with their replacements and it shows.

The one thing that hadn’t changed was that the regulars at Good concerts were in full force too. A ‘triple sky kick’ may have been a little more difficult to pull off and we were all kind of sore for standing for a few hours but part of the appeal about going back to any of Good’s shows is the chance to see familiar faces and talk the set over and discuss our favorite moments. We no longer wait outside the venue for hours day after day but it is almost a standing date we have when a tour is announced.

I may never hear “Symbolistic White Walls” or “My Out of Style is Coming Back” again but when Matthew Good comes to town it’s a guaranteed enjoyable night and I hope the next stop is a little sooner than the 17 months I had between the last shows.

A highlight worth mentioning from the night was Mother Mother. I was familiar with their discography going into a show (a rare occurrence with openers for Matthew Good) and their thirty minute set was fast paced, very tight and extremely entertaining. They will only continue to get better and more popular as time goes on and I’m glad to say that “I saw them when” they played a venue that only held a few thousand compared to what they could be playing to in the future.

As to be expected, I recorded the show and here is my favorite song from the new album performed on Saturday night: “Great Whales of the Sea”. As an added bonus is my favorite song from Mother Mother: “Hayloft”.

It didn’t survive my 1and1 Post Drama from earlier this year, but in the summer of 2007 Matthew Good streamed his forthcoming album “Hospital Music” on his website for his fans to hear. This time around he is doing it again for his October release titled “Vancouver”. When I listened to “Hospital Music” for the first time I wrote my thoughts on a song-by-song basis, my first impressions of what I thought and I decided to try that again for this record.

However, this time it is a little bit different because most of the songs on the record I have heard in their demo format, which were released on his website over the course of the recording process. Regardless of it being my first time hearing the songs, or my tenth, I still set aside some of my afternoon and listened to the album front to back.

1. “Last Parade” – 5:55
Intro has remained the same from the demo. It feels like a song that could have been on “Avalanche” with the orchestral pieces and the layering. An interesting choice to start the record, it has a slow build but for the most part it feels like something that could be a second song or a closer. Still, the lyric “Ain’t it good to feel back home” does set the mood for the purpose and atmosphere of the record.

2. “The Boy Who Could Explode” – 6:57
I have heard this song many times but it never really stood out to me so I kind of feel like I am listening to it for the first time now. The song feels very open and light and I feel there was no hook to pull me in, perhaps that will change on repeat listens. The last part of the song with the pronounced drums and guitar was a nice ending.

3. “Great Whales Of The Sea” – 3:29
There is no doubting it, this is one of my favourite songs and I can’t explain it. I have to listen to the remainder of the album but this could be a front runner for my top track here.

4. “Us Remains Impossible” – 4:45
First off I have noticed quite the improvement from the demos released of this song. Like “The Boy Who Could Explode” this song did not stand out to me in demo format, however it is standing out to me now. Yeah, this song has gotten my attention and I am listening now.

5. “On Nights Like Tonight” – 4:22
I am not sure I have heard this song often but I immediately like it. I am still getting an “Avalanche” vibe from songs on here and this song continues to support that.

6. “Volcanoes” – 5:03
A very slow song that explodes in the middle. I don’t have much to say about this but I think it will be a grower for me. One where the lyrics stand out amongst others on the album.

7. “A Silent Army In The Trees” – 5:37
A song I had the pleasure of hearing live before “Black Helicopters” and am very pleased to see it get a full studio treatment here. The song remains unchanged from its original format but it’s good to have it here because it could be another of my favourites. The longer this song goes on for the more I like it.

8. “Fought To Fight It” – 4:23
A fantastic bass line to start this song. I like it, a lot. As much as I like “Great Whales of the Sea” this may be my top runner for the album. Not much more to say on it, I was too busy rocking out.

9. “The Vancouver National Anthem” – 6:51
I love the guitar on this song. I like the additional vocals with Pete Yorn on this, obviously a big improvement from the demo. “We all live downtown. We all step over ourselves.” is a wonderful few lines and, again, reinforces the idea of this album.

10. “Empty’s Theme Park” – 9:21
Ten minutes? Daaamn. I was doubtful of this track but the band kicking in (I find it weird to say “band” if most of the parts were performed by MG himself) added a bit more depth. I have no idea how far in to this song I am but I love the orchestra inclusion around the one third mark. The last chord on the piano is a very definite and oddly haunting way to close the record out. This was a very fast nine minutes.

That was a very quick album, I’m surprised that was 53 minutes. The subject of the record is obvious and I think it flows quite well as a ‘concept’. I will try to refrain from listening to the stream too much before it is released in October but after that all bets are off as I prepare for his November 14th concert in Edmonton, which will be my 21st time seeing him perform.

Matthew Good played two sold out shows at the very lovely and intimate Myer Horowitz Theater on Sunday and Monday. The shows sold out in record pace, and with the shows being assigned seating (something different compared to last year) it was a mess finding a ticket.

I managed to luck out for both shows and get front row balcony seats at center for the first night and just off to the left of center for the second night. A feat unto itself as some people could not get any tickets let alone ones they desired.

Here are my thoughts for the two nights with Matthew Good and the Nothing to Hide tour.

Sunday, September 23

Following the concert Brad and I tried to figure out what was wrong. We both enjoyed the show but something was missing. Something was off. Something was not right.

The show was enjoyable, Matt’s voice was amazing and the new songs were beautiful in the acoustic setting. So what was wrong?

The March 2006 was the best Matthew Good/Band show we had seen to date. After ten years of seeing him perform and seeing nearly twenty shows we know what to expect, and perhaps seeing so many shows had tainted our point of view?

The setlist was good, but not great. The new songs were done flawlessly live. The triple header intro of Girl Wedged Under The Front Of a Firebird – I’m Not Safer Than a Bank – Champions Of Nothing was a well played introduction to the new material and the night.

There was a nice treat with hearing a brand new song A Silent Army In The Trees which lead into Black Helicopters. This was probably the highlight for me, although hearing I’m A Window was really stellar. I love the upbeat feel to that song.

I really enjoy hearing Load Me Up and Indestructible acoustically, it adds a new element to old songs. And that is where I think this show lacked, there were not a lot of gems. We were treated to the always amazing Fated and Fine Art of Falling Apart, which closed the show, but that was it.

March 2006 had a handsome helping of rarities and that is what made that show stand out. Matthew Good is touring a new record so I should not expect to hear rarities in place of new material but I was looking for more.

To add insult to injury following the show I went to stop the recording and noticed my recorder was turned off. This is never a good sign. Did my hard drive crash? Did I run out of battery power? Did something else go wrong?

I am not sure what happened but before Matthew took the stage I checked all of my connections and saw that I was getting sound from my microphones and I had been recording for six minutes. Shortly after that six minute mark the recording stopped.

This meant that there was more pressure on me to get a recording of the next night and hope Matthew was up to the task of outperforming himself.

Monday, September 24

Was this even the same person playing tonight? This show was leagues ahead of the one on Sunday. There were more interesting songs played, such as North American For Life, Alert Status Red and Hopeless.

There were even different songs from the new album played such as Odette and a Simon and Garfunkle cover. Standout tracks were still Silent Army In The Trees – Black Helicopters and Fated.

Even the inbetween song banter was a little more lively and had some variety to it. Matthew’s ability to go from talking about outsourcing to slavery and the Roman’s is a skill on its own. When Matthew comes back in 35 years with his Big Band Revue I will be all of that and we can talk about Rascals and how to get better battery life out of them.

Monday night was an improvement on every aspect. New covers, different songs and repeated songs were played in a different order. Chad had raved at how good the Red Deer show was. Unfortunately, in his opinion, the Edmonton ones did not live up to what he had witnessed on Saturday. That is the way it goes with multiple shows in a province, you can never predict when the show will be better than the last.

The opening act, Dala, needs to be mentioned here. These two girls from Ontario were amazing. Their harmonies were spot on, they had great songs and their two guitars sounded wonderful. It is a real treat to have an opening act that you look forward to hearing. Brad bought their CD and their live talents are evident in the studio.

After seeing their performance on Sunday I made sure to record them on Monday night. They played a quick thirty minute set that featured similar songs to the night before but also made sure to have different introductions to songs and change up their conversations between songs.

The crowd was also different between the two nights. On Sunday the crowd was really quiet and at times all you could hear was Matthew playing and nothing else. Monday night I found the crowd louder and applauded more. I did find it interesting that the crowd gave Matthew two standing ovations on Sunday but only one last night. Still, he deserved those ovations for a job well done.

Once Matthew finishes touring Hospital Music who knows when he will be back again. Edmonton has been spoiled with his yearly tours that occasionaly feature multiple shows and I hope that he comes back soon.

Right Click > Save As to listen to “Silent Army In The Trees’ from last night.

A week ago I was down in Calgary. Now, I am sitting at home enjoying the Friday on what turned out to be another gorgeous day. What a week it has been.

We travelled 1800KM’s, saw five concerts, experienced torrential rain, had a near miss with a deer and made great memories all over the long weekend.

By now most are aware of the secret show Jack and Meg performed at a Youth Center last weekend. I made several phone calls before rushing off with Jenna in tow.

When we arrived we were able to get a decent spot infront of Jack. Everyone I called was able to make it into the show, even Aaron made it in who just came in the back door when the main entrance was closed to the amount of people.

The experience was surreal and a treat that lead into a fantastic main show on Saturday. As I wrote earlier, the setlist was amazing. Songs were played from The White Stripes and White Blood Cells that I thought I would never hear. It was a gem and listening back to the show I am reminded of how great it was.

Six hours after going to sleep I was and getting ready for the trip to Saskatoon. The trip was peaceful and we encountered little traffic. Obviously Aaron and I had spent a lot of time in a car together to this point. Although with the addition of Wendy she livened up the ride as we talked music and discussed our new empire: STB. I will save you the back story.

We got into Saskatoon around 1:30PM but could not check into the hotel until 4:00PM. We ventured off down the road in search of a hotspot so we could get an update on a Saskatoon free show.

We ended up in Starbucks and as I logged onto the wireless connection a phone call came in from a Saskatoon connection telling me the news. Aaron and Wendy grabbed their drinks and we rushed back to the car. Thanks to Aaron’s GPS unit we were able to head in the direction of the secret show.

Everything seemed good until the navigator took us to an empty parking lot. Minutes were ticking by and we felt our window of opportunity close. We felt that we should turn right at a corner.

We asked an elderly couple walking down the street if they knew where Eastview Bowl was. Either they did not hear us, or were messing with us, but both shook their heads. Not more than 100m behind them was the bowling lane. Score one for you Grandma!

We jumped out of the car and ran inside to see a crowd gathered around several lanes. Anticipation was building and then Jack and Meg crossed the lanes with pins in hand and rocked out. This moment was just as surreal as the one from the day before.

A band I had seen only from afar was now six feet away from me and playing an intimate show for us. The set was shorter but featured a new batch of rarities, and one song (Red Bowling Ball Ruth) which had only been played a handful of times.

As my update from Monday morning would tell you, the show was a success and we were all exhausted. After a quick breakfast we headed back to Alberta. Not more than twenty-four hours after we had entered this province, we were leaving it.

The rest of the week flew by. I spent my time listening back to the concerts, reliving the moments and reading about the experiences of others from the weekend. It was truly an amazing moment and one I will not forget for some time.

The good next kept rolling last week as last Friday Matthew Good announced a tour date in Edmonton. Obviously I was excited and on Thursday after a little bit of chaos buying tickets I was able to get upper balcony, front row. This spot is similar to where I sat last year.

Then today while recapping the buying experience with another Matthew Good fan online I discovered that there was a second show added. Quick on the ticket buying and I had two front row balcony seats for two consecutive nights. The two Matthew Good shows lead into an intimate concert with Tegan and Sara. It is going to be a good September.

With the conclusion of The White Stripes marathon there should be less Jack and Meg talk on here. Most of June was dominated by candy cane conversations but don’t be surprised if a post flares up about how great the Edmonton show was or how timid Meg acts when she sings; it will be just me reminiscing about this past weekend.

All Together

With December nearing to a close I thought I’d reflect on 2005 A Year In Concerts. It has been a pretty succesful year with the chance to see a wide range of bands, and some that may never come back to Edmonton. There was also two trips to Vancouver for concerts, which is something I will be doing more of in the future (travelling to other cities). Without future adieu, here is how I spent my year:

• February: Tegan and Sara
• March: Velvet Revolver
• April: Death From Above 1979, U2
• May: Jakalope, Green Day
• July: Thornley, Matthew Good
• August: White Stripes (x2)
• September: Pearl Jam
• October: Arcade Fire, Matthew Good (x3)
• November: Bad Religion

I’ve seen Matthew Good perform sixteen times, and he always puts on a great show. DFA1979 was raw and powerful, Arcade Fire was a display of pure talent and Bad Religion flat out rocked. But this years best concert is between U2 and White Stripes.

U2 is a very spiritual experience, and one I feel honored to be a part of. While in Vancouver for the U2 concert Jenna and I were able to be extras in the City of Blinding Lights video shoot where I was subsequently bodychecked by Bono in the last take of the song.

The U2 concert was also a great finish to an amazing week in Vancouver but I think the best show has to go to Jack and Meg White. Jack White is one of my guitar idols and to see him perform live was a thing of glory. There is no setlist when they take the stage so it’s all done on a whim which creates a genuine feeling, unlike U2 which is very rehersed. From beginning to end, Jack’s hands are on fire as he rips through songs and the chemistry between him and Meg is simple and honest.

It’s a tough battle, U2 vs. White Stripes for but the duo from Detroit wins by a small margine. With that said, in 2006 if either band come near the Canadian border (or even northern USA) I’m going.

And when the dust settled it was all over. The three night stand of Matthew Good has come and gone and it was well worth it. It was a great time and last nights show rocked really hard. It was nothing compared to the Sunday show but was all around awesome. Put Out Your Lights and Poor Mans Grey made it into the setlist, and Matt also played around with songs as Buffalo Seven was to be played but was replaced by Alert Status Red. A tough call because Alert Status Red is one of my favorite live songs but Buffalo Seven has such an addictive riff and with it rarely played makes it that much better. At least we were able to hear it played for the Rogers Wireless people Sunday evening, even if we were outside.

Also, waiting in line with the usual suspects of Chad and Chelsey made the three nights more enjoyable too. Knowing that there are others out there as equally as passionate about the same thing you are is a great feeling. You get into such a routine that I feel like I should be getting ready to head out again in three hours.

The week of rock is not over though as I still have Anti-Flag and Bad Religion on Friday night. Between now and then I may start working at Statusfirm or I could have a few more days off to enjoy the November weather.

What’s this, another song sample? You bet! This time it’s from the second last song of the night with Alert Status Red. Enjoy and rock out safely when you Right Click > Save As.

Edit: Audio removed after WordPress 2.0 upgrade and /Downloads folder was not archived.

Having gone a day without going back to the Starlite Room I have had a chance to reflect on the good times in line and at the show. Chelsey’s verbal fight with someone about line placement, pigeons and their ability to terrorize people, Ladies and Gentlemen comming onstage the first night to the tune of Astro from The White Stripes, Pat joining the L&G’s onstage each night for one song by adding in a cowbell, meeting Stephanie again after our first crossing of paths six years earlier during summer school as well as kick fights and whoopin” corporate ass Chad style!

There are only a few bands I would religiously wait in line for, and over the last eight years there have been some great people I have met. Back in ’99 while waiting for autographs from the MGB Bradly and I met three girls also waiting outside well, I can’t remember where it was, but it was somewhere in West Edmonton Mall. This was early, I think we showed up at 8 AM and autographs began at 1 PM. We had a good chance to know the girls and after we all got passes to the “win-to-get-in” all ages show later on that evening at The Rev we spent the rest of the day with the girls. I can’t recall their names, but I know one had a flight out to somewhere east at 5 AM and this was her sendoff.

Anyway, there was one girl from the three that I continued to run into while out and about. The first time was again in West Ed, but the next time was waiting in line at Bearfest in 2001 and Bradly and I were able to catch up on the last several years. When Matt pulled people on stage to enjoy a drink and play PS2 during Suburbia she was one of the girls to go up; oddly I haven’t seen her at a show since.

While I can’t remember what Matt said during the ’99 Rev show I can remember the three girls and riding around in my Jeep late at night attempting to get back to the west end. The events of a concert may get blurry but those you wait in line with really make the times count. So, a round of sky kicks and see you all at the next show.

In one word: Wow! Although no amount of words can describe how amazing last night was. Of the fifteen times I have gone to his show, this was a second best – and a very close second to the ’99 Pepsi Taste Tour show that still holds the number one title. Everything about last night was perfect and was all I could have hoped for. The setlist was long and had a lot of variety and the setlist that existed was adjusted in a few places to have an acoustic encore of Prime Time Deliverance, Tripoli, Apparitions and closing on Generation X-Wing.

And Wendy was able to get into the show thanks to Stephanie’s friend who was not going, brought us her ticket while we were in line which made everything better. So while I may not have beat Ticketmaster for both shows, I was able to get a ticket for each sold out night so now I won’t receive a lump of coal for Christmas from Wendy.

What will tonight hold? After last nights performance it will be difficult to compete but with it being Hallowe’en I am sure we are all in for a treat. On my ticket pictured above take a look at the red box. Yes, the show is general admission, but I am GA0 – 1, this means I was the first person to order tickets for this show. I think that’s a good sign right there.

The joy of it all huh? Here is a sample from last night, this time it is Tripoli. The second acoustic song in the encore and was everything I could have hoped for. In fact, it was four years ago yesterday that Audio of Being was released so I think it’s fitting I use a song from that LP as an example. As it was yesterday, be bandwidth friendly and
Right Click > Save As for the song. Enjoy!

Edit: Audio removed after WordPress 2.0 upgrade and /Downloads folder was not archived.

Nothing like celebrating your birthday with a post on the Internet huh? I am still feeling pretty sick, although I feel better than I did on Thursday. But with three concerts this weekend I don’t imagine I will be feeling much better when it’s all said and done.

Tonight marks the first of four concerts in a week starting with Matthew Good. This will be my fourteenth time seeing Matthew Good perform and each show always has something different. Based on how the shows looked on the eastern dates I think I’m in for a treat this weekend.

Alright e-kids, here is an important reminder. If someone asks you to buy them tickets for a concert, remember to do so, otherwise you may find yourself in the same situation I did a few hours ago on the phone with Wendy”

Wendy: So Gursk, how much do I owe you for the tickets?
Sean:
Sean: Tickets?
Wendy: Yeah, didn’t you buy me tickets?
Sean: No, I thought you were going to.

And this carried on for a few more moments until we realized that neither of us were joking. The show tonight (and tomorrow) is sold out but I checked Ticketmaster anyway, and just as I thought: Sold out.

Knowing Ticketmaster’s weak point I checked again twenty minutes later and found myself one ticket for a sold out show. I quickly placed another order (total of five for tonight) and just returned from Leduc with what is probably one of the last tickets to be sold for tonight. Again, write important information down, otherwise you could forget someone or something.