Renowned Halifax singer/songwriter stops in Montreal for a special solo performance. With good old East Coast charm, he treated fans to an acoustic set to remember.
A smiling Joel Plaskett leapt onto the stage for his January 20 solo show in Montreal, and immediately began to collectively chat with the crowd. His tall, almost anemically-thin frame moved with unexpected grace across the tiny platform of La Sala Rosa.
He laughed with the excitement and enthusiasm of a young performer, telling the audience that “he writes a lot about girls.” However, he is hardly a neophyte.
Plaskett, in fact, is coming off a banner year. He received the 2006 East Coast Music Awards for Male Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year, and his song “Nowhere With You” (recently featured in a Zellers ad) was voted by CBC listeners as the year’s top single.
And yet, on this night, the auburn-haired Haligonian dedicated all of his charm and extensive musical talent to winning over a few hundred, already devoted Montreal fans.
Early in the set, his rendition of “Lying on the Beach” from his La De Da album, with its simple, sweet and romanticized portrait of love, inspired the crowd to sing along. A few songs later, “Natural Disaster” highlighted the witty and thought-provoking style of Plaskett’s lyrics. As the first notes rang out, the mass of bodies began to dance in unison.
Plaskett normally plays and records with his band, The Emergency. With the added musicians, many of his songs have a more rock-oriented, electric sound. Nevertheless, as the Montreal show demonstrated, the inherent quality of Plaskett’s writing not only translates well to acoustic renditions, but shines in this minimalist setting.
At times, these stripped-down takes even surpassed the original versions, especially when he brought out his new 12-string guitar, adding a lush feeling to many of his simpler arrangements.
Between songs, Plaskett filled the breaks with an endless stream of funny and interesting anecdotes. As the night progressed, he seemed to feed off of the crowd’s energy, and vice versa. At several points during the set, he actually broke out with some impromptu tap-dancing.
Overall, the set drew equally from all of Plaskett’s albums. In addition, two new, as-yet-unrecorded songs made an appearance, “New Scotland Blues” and “Penny For Your Thoughts,” as well as a few well-chosen covers, including a Joni Mitchell song.
After two encores, which included a beautiful and touching rendition of “Non-Believer,” Plaskett returned to the stage to say one last goodbye, and joked that he couldn’t play any longer or the next day bloggers would criticize the concert’s length.
In reality, though, Plaskett offered Montrealers a phenomenal performance. Due to the strength of his songwriting and the affability of his on-stage persona, this show will long be remembered as a bright spot in the middle of a long cold winter.
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