I expected the show to be good, I expected to be entertained...  In the end, I was thoroughly impressed and, quite honestly, blown away.

Several months ago, my sister had asked me if I wanted to go see City and Colour in Toronto.  I agreed to go to the show despite knowing nothing of the band besides the fact that Dallas Green (the man who started/is City and Colour) is one of my sister's favorite musicians... that was enough for me.

I casually listened through CC's material and was drawn in by the stripped down, raw sound of a man with an acoustic guitar.  I was a little apprehensive about how the show would go over, however.  The show was being held at the Molson Amphitheatre, the same place I had seen rock artists such as Robert Plant and Iron Maiden.  I thought to myself, "how is a solo acoustic show going to work at a huge venue like that?"

Well, I'll tell you how.

Dallas was accompanied by several extremely talented musicians for most of the set.  Sure there were the obligatory lone-man-with-an-acoustic songs, which were performed with oodles of heart and soul, but where the concert really shined (for me) was when the band accompanied many of the songs.

3 and 4 minute album tracks turned into 6+ minute jams featuring twangy guitar licks, dirty organs, and pedal steel bliss, all kept in harmony by a steady rhythm section of bass and drums.  It was incredible how much the band filled out the songs and gave the material a differnt feel.  I got a pronounced My Morning Jacket vibe from a few songs, which I greatly enjoyed.

I still don't know many songs by name (full setlist can be found here) , but I certainly recognized all the ones that I have come to know over the past few weeks and was especially taken by the renditions of "Sleeping Sickness" and "Comin' Home."

It was clear that many in the crowd had much more tacit knowledge of the material than I did, as Dallas was joined by the thousands in attendance in singing many of the songs... The only song I knew more than the chorus to was his show ending cover of Neil Young's "Like a Hurricane."  I found it entirely appropriate for Dallas to cover Neil Young, the original acoustic troubadour of Canada, in his home city.  I can see a lot of Neil's influence in CC's catalog.

The entire show was recorded and I am sincerely hoping for a live album and or DVD/Blu-Ray release thanks to the impeccable performance, choice of songs, and full-band-interpretations.

All in all, I'm elated that I was able to attend the sold out performance and I am kicking myself for missing the recent performance of City and Colour at Niagara Falls' Rapids Theater; it would have been excellent to see Dallas perform in a smaller venue... oh well, I'll be there next time.