A Reunited Grapes of Wrath Packs the Horseshoe Tavern

Date of show: November 19, 2010
Shot of choice: jager (Kevin Kane)

Note: All photos by guest contributor Jeff Chudak.

The Grapes of Wrath is made up of Kevin Kane (vocals, guitar), Tom Hooper (vocals, bass), and Chris Hooper (drums). The band debuted with an EP in 1984 and released their first full-length album, September Bowl of Green, in 1985. Their third and most successful album, Now and Again, was released in 1989. They released their fourth album in 1991, These Days, but disbanded in 1992. Although there were spurts where Kane and Hooper (Tom) had worked together, the original lineup had not played together until this summer at the Surrey Fusion Festival. For fans, it was a long wait to see this great Canadian band play again.

The Horseshoe Tavern was completely packed by the time The Grapes of Wrath took the stage. Fans were feisty, eager to hear a band they’ve been waiting to see play again for 18 years. The band opened up their set with “Peace of Mind” and then forged on for another hour, going back and forth between the two vocalists. Earlier in the night, openers The Heartbroken said, “I think they’re even better than before.” And, unsurprisingly, the fellas still sound great. There wasn’t a whole lot of stage banter, although I did enjoy the moment when Hooper revealed their original cassette print for September Bowl of Green actually read September Bowel of Green (ha!). It seemed as though the guys were genuinely glad to be playing together, and Kane and Hooper even thanked each other a couple times. For their last song of the encore, The Grapes of Wrath played “A Very Special Day.” It was indeed a special one, as the crowd sang along. At the end of the song, I could hear lots of chatter about the great set, as well as a few fans screaming things like, “Don’t go!” and “Come back soon!”

After their set, fans anxiously awaited the band to come out for a bit of a meet and greet and to sign some autographs. After 18 years, it was evident that their fans haven’t forgotten them, nor do they seem to love the band any less. Although I don’t share in the nostalgia, given I was a wee one at the time of their success, it really was a great show and the atmosphere was a special one to experience. It looks as though this reunion won’t be a one off tour, so fans should look forward to seeing The Grapes of Wrath continue to play music… as it should be.

The Heartbroken

Opening up the night was Toronto-based country band The Heartbroken, who released their debut album, Tonight Tonight, earlier this year. The Heartbroken is comprised of Damhnait Doyle (vocals, guitar), Blake Manning (drums, vocals), Stuart Cameron (guitar), and Peter Fusco (bass). They started off their set to a relatively sparse crowd, but by the end of the their set it was packed. Doyle is so charming and has a serious set of chops, particularly impressive when she’s completely belting it out. It was a solid set of feel good country and as the crowd started to grow, the audience got more and more into the set.

A cute moment was when Doyle revealed that Fusco had missed a couple of the tour dates with The Grapes of Wrath because he just had a baby (or rather, the mother of his child had the baby). This resulted in Doyle attempting to guilt the audience into buying their merch so Fusco could put diapers on said baby. So here’s a note to all of you: if you like ‘em, buy their merch.