Post by FreakyFlyBry on Aug 12, 2017 23:48:14 GMT -5
Michelle Branch concert review
Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON, August 11, 2017
By: Bryan Armstrong
As you may know, I've been a pretty big fan of Michelle Branch since her album "The Spirit Room" was one of my favourites back when I got it in 2002. That continued, or rather, escalated upon the release of "Hotel Paper" - its first two singles remain among my all-time favourite songs. Ever since then, I've closely followed her career and kept an interest in whatever she released.
From her country duo project The Wreckers to several singles from albums that never saw the light of day as well as the "Everything Comes And Goes" EP, I maintained an interest in her music... and then, all of a sudden... it all stopped. I'd thought she'd left the music business completely... but this year, she surprised me by finally releasing her first full-length solo album in 14 years, "Hopeless Romantic". I do admit, her absence did make me somewhat lose interest in her as I'd given up hope of ever hearing new music from her until it finally happened, and honestly, I haven't paid the new album as much attention as I possibly should have since its release as I felt kinda underwhelmed compared to her past efforts (but after her excellent first two albums, almost anything would pale in comparison!)
Still, I knew there was one missing piece in the puzzle - even during her peak interest years, I never had the chance to see her live - either solo or with The Wreckers. By the time I started travelling to see concerts, she hadn't really been that active. But, as often is the case, a new album means a new tour, and I decided that I wanted to see her (especially as I have no idea when she'd tour again after this!) so I plotted it out and figured the Toronto date was the easiest for me to get to (also because I only needed the Friday off work to get there), I figured that was the best date to try and get to. And while by the time I decided to go and got the ticket, the VIP packages were sold out so I didn't get the chance to meet her. Still, any chance to see Michelle was one worth taking, regardless.
The opening act was Haerts, who I honestly knew not much about though I heard a song from them I didn't mind beforehand. After their set, my anticipation was high... after all, it had been 16 years since I first heard her! Sure enough, as she got on stage... she honestly looked like she had not aged one bit since her early days, even though she is 34 years old! And when she and her band played the songs, they really knew how to shine!
The set started with two selections from the album: "Last Night" and "Best You Ever". This was followed by "Spirit Room" track "You Get Me", which was a delight to hear as it was always one of my favourites, followed by the title track "Hopeless Romantic", which was presented in a more rocking form than the organic production as it appears on the album.
Many of her older songs were reworked by her newest band members, which had a more indie rock flair. The sounds may be different from the original record, but there's no mistaking that her next song, "All You Wanted", still resonates as strong as it did when I first heard it all those years ago. It seems like every time Michelle switched her guitar, that she went from an older song to a newer song or vice versa, and such, she went into "Heartbreak Now" and "Knock Yourself Out", which are two of my favourites from the new album. During this time, Michelle interacted with the crowd, joking around that she'd love for Canada to adopt her as a citizen in case the USA refused to let her back home. It seemed like she was genuinely happy to be back in Canada and always grateful to the fans for standing by her, whether they followed her from the start or had just discovered her.
The next song on the set, Michelle introduced her female band members, and the three of them played an acoustic version of her hit with The Wreckers, "Leave The Pieces". She then introduced her male band members who joined the girls back on stage and went into a reworked version of her Santana collaboration "The Game Of Love"; while it did sound different from what I was used to (as Carlos Santana's guitar style is impossible to replicate), it really did fit into the setlist seamlessly. One of my personal favourites, "Breathe", followed, and certainly did not disappoint.
Four songs from the new album followed; one of my personal favourites "Not A Love Song", "City", "Fault Line" and "Living A Lie". While the new songs generally had a positive reception, ultimately, the biggest reactions came from the classic hits, such as the following song, "Are You Happy Now?", which is my personal favourite from her. So if she was asking me the question, I certainly was happy to hear this song, considering that it is one of my favourite songs of all time and I finally got to hear her sing it live.
As Michelle and the band left the stage, the fans demanded the encore. Sure enough, they came back on! There were two big hits that had yet to be played, and they were saved for the very end. Emotional fan favourite "Goodbye To You" was next and had the audience singing along, followed by a solo rendition of her first big hit, "Everywhere", a configuration that makes her lyrics really shine despite having heard this song many times before, it sounded fresh and new yet still familiar at the same time, another singalong classic.
While Michelle has explored various styles throughout her career, from pop/rock singer/songwriter to country and now a more indie rock sound, this show really captured it all, the essence of what Michelle Branch truly is - a singer who isn't afraid to express her emotions that fans can relate to. Ultimately, what this show did was re-affirm to me why I have always liked her. I feel she does kinda remind me of a composite of some girls that I had a crush on back in high school, as she gives off that relateable vibe that she could easily be someone I'd know. I also feel that the new songs were really meant to shine in a live setting, as they felt very energetic live and have helped get me into her new material more, and that her older songs still remain favourites of mine after all these years. The smaller venue gave it a more intimate feel that a larger arena show may not get, and allowed more of a personal connection for the fans to Michelle herself.
So overall, I'd say not only was she worth waiting this long to see (she definitely lived up to my expectations live - and then some!), I'd say it was also one of the best shows I've ever seen, period.
Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON, August 11, 2017
By: Bryan Armstrong
As you may know, I've been a pretty big fan of Michelle Branch since her album "The Spirit Room" was one of my favourites back when I got it in 2002. That continued, or rather, escalated upon the release of "Hotel Paper" - its first two singles remain among my all-time favourite songs. Ever since then, I've closely followed her career and kept an interest in whatever she released.
From her country duo project The Wreckers to several singles from albums that never saw the light of day as well as the "Everything Comes And Goes" EP, I maintained an interest in her music... and then, all of a sudden... it all stopped. I'd thought she'd left the music business completely... but this year, she surprised me by finally releasing her first full-length solo album in 14 years, "Hopeless Romantic". I do admit, her absence did make me somewhat lose interest in her as I'd given up hope of ever hearing new music from her until it finally happened, and honestly, I haven't paid the new album as much attention as I possibly should have since its release as I felt kinda underwhelmed compared to her past efforts (but after her excellent first two albums, almost anything would pale in comparison!)
Still, I knew there was one missing piece in the puzzle - even during her peak interest years, I never had the chance to see her live - either solo or with The Wreckers. By the time I started travelling to see concerts, she hadn't really been that active. But, as often is the case, a new album means a new tour, and I decided that I wanted to see her (especially as I have no idea when she'd tour again after this!) so I plotted it out and figured the Toronto date was the easiest for me to get to (also because I only needed the Friday off work to get there), I figured that was the best date to try and get to. And while by the time I decided to go and got the ticket, the VIP packages were sold out so I didn't get the chance to meet her. Still, any chance to see Michelle was one worth taking, regardless.
The opening act was Haerts, who I honestly knew not much about though I heard a song from them I didn't mind beforehand. After their set, my anticipation was high... after all, it had been 16 years since I first heard her! Sure enough, as she got on stage... she honestly looked like she had not aged one bit since her early days, even though she is 34 years old! And when she and her band played the songs, they really knew how to shine!
The set started with two selections from the album: "Last Night" and "Best You Ever". This was followed by "Spirit Room" track "You Get Me", which was a delight to hear as it was always one of my favourites, followed by the title track "Hopeless Romantic", which was presented in a more rocking form than the organic production as it appears on the album.
Many of her older songs were reworked by her newest band members, which had a more indie rock flair. The sounds may be different from the original record, but there's no mistaking that her next song, "All You Wanted", still resonates as strong as it did when I first heard it all those years ago. It seems like every time Michelle switched her guitar, that she went from an older song to a newer song or vice versa, and such, she went into "Heartbreak Now" and "Knock Yourself Out", which are two of my favourites from the new album. During this time, Michelle interacted with the crowd, joking around that she'd love for Canada to adopt her as a citizen in case the USA refused to let her back home. It seemed like she was genuinely happy to be back in Canada and always grateful to the fans for standing by her, whether they followed her from the start or had just discovered her.
The next song on the set, Michelle introduced her female band members, and the three of them played an acoustic version of her hit with The Wreckers, "Leave The Pieces". She then introduced her male band members who joined the girls back on stage and went into a reworked version of her Santana collaboration "The Game Of Love"; while it did sound different from what I was used to (as Carlos Santana's guitar style is impossible to replicate), it really did fit into the setlist seamlessly. One of my personal favourites, "Breathe", followed, and certainly did not disappoint.
Four songs from the new album followed; one of my personal favourites "Not A Love Song", "City", "Fault Line" and "Living A Lie". While the new songs generally had a positive reception, ultimately, the biggest reactions came from the classic hits, such as the following song, "Are You Happy Now?", which is my personal favourite from her. So if she was asking me the question, I certainly was happy to hear this song, considering that it is one of my favourite songs of all time and I finally got to hear her sing it live.
As Michelle and the band left the stage, the fans demanded the encore. Sure enough, they came back on! There were two big hits that had yet to be played, and they were saved for the very end. Emotional fan favourite "Goodbye To You" was next and had the audience singing along, followed by a solo rendition of her first big hit, "Everywhere", a configuration that makes her lyrics really shine despite having heard this song many times before, it sounded fresh and new yet still familiar at the same time, another singalong classic.
While Michelle has explored various styles throughout her career, from pop/rock singer/songwriter to country and now a more indie rock sound, this show really captured it all, the essence of what Michelle Branch truly is - a singer who isn't afraid to express her emotions that fans can relate to. Ultimately, what this show did was re-affirm to me why I have always liked her. I feel she does kinda remind me of a composite of some girls that I had a crush on back in high school, as she gives off that relateable vibe that she could easily be someone I'd know. I also feel that the new songs were really meant to shine in a live setting, as they felt very energetic live and have helped get me into her new material more, and that her older songs still remain favourites of mine after all these years. The smaller venue gave it a more intimate feel that a larger arena show may not get, and allowed more of a personal connection for the fans to Michelle herself.
So overall, I'd say not only was she worth waiting this long to see (she definitely lived up to my expectations live - and then some!), I'd say it was also one of the best shows I've ever seen, period.