Date of show: October 2, 2012
Written by: Chiara DiAngelo
It was a star-studded affair at The Great Hall to celebrate the release of folk-rocker Jason Collett’s latest album. An almost 30-song set that lasted just over 2-hours, Collett barely broke a sweat, with just his forehead glistening towards the end. Rather than have an opener, Collett opted instead for a Revue-type setup, with a new set of characters joining him on the velvet curtain-draped stage for almost every song. There was very rarely fewer than 7 people on stage, and by the encore, they maxed out the stage capacity at what I counted to be fifteen. Despite the constant turnover and instrument changes, the set never felt stilted, nor did it drag as Collett filled the space with jovial banter and stories behind the songs or of the friends joining him.
While it was labelled as a release party for the Occupy-inspired Reckon, the setlist spanned the length of Collett’s career and it was truly just as much a celebration of the man himself, his career in music, the Arts & Crafts label (nearing their 10-year anniversary!), and the camaraderie that exists amongst the supporting cast of talented multi-instrumentalists that make up the Toronto/Canadian music scene.
Beginning the show solo for “Pacific Blues,” which is also the first track on Reckon, Collett was soon joined by his brand new as-of-yet-unnamed band, including Jay McCarrol (keys) and Taylor Knox (drums) of The Golden Dogs. Former backing band Zeus were also often out in various capacities throughout the night; Carlin Nicholson didn’t let his broken hand prevent him from playing both keys and the guitar.
Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew made an appearance to sing on “On Fire,” giving Collett a peck on the shoulder before heading off stage and being replaced with Davenport MP and former L’Étranger punk-rocker Andrew Cash for “We All Lose One Another.” While Reckon is a politically-infused record, the only mention of politics in the set came with Collett’s comment that it is “good to have some ex-punks in Parliament” – which naturally drew some cheers from the like-minded crowd.
Other guests throughout the night included chef Michael P Clive (bass), Bahamas (guitar, keys), Howie Beck (drums, guitar), Danielle Duval (vocals), Brendan Canning (guitar), Don Kerr (drums), and Jeremy Little (bass), often transforming the stage into a “guitar army, BSS-style.” There was also a three-piece horn section for “Parry Sound,” featuring Liam O’Neil (The Stills, Eight and a Half), Charles Spearin (Do Make Say Think, Feist), and Bryden Baird (Feist). A between-song horn interlude soon gave way to increasing electric guitars as the band cranked up the volume for “Lake Superior.”
Collett’s domestic and musical lives collided during “Black Diamond Girl.” Having been up on the balcony for the first part of the set, Collett’s wife and two children could be seen side-stage during this song, which Collett dedicated to his wife. Not content to stay in the wings, the kids soon picked up a tambourine during “Hangover Days,” pushing the limit on how close to the main stage area they could dance their way to before being ushered back. They may have stolen the show from the musicians at this point with their antics!
Set closer “Brownie Hawkeye” ended with a fading horn solo as the three men were the last to exit, walking off stage still playing their instruments. Responding to the thunderous applause that erupted, Collett and Co. soon returned to the stage. With over a dozen musicians taking up every available corner – including Bahamas on keys, Taylor Knox on guitar and Jay McCarrol on drums – they gave the audience one more song with the boisterous “I’ll Bring The Sun.”
Commenting that he felt like he was ten years old again and got to invite everyone to his birthday party, Collett toasted “Here’s to all my friends and the city that houses them.” Well, all we can say is, Here’s to you Jason Collett! Congratulations on yet another excellent record and a career worth celebrating.
Reckon was released on September 25 and comes with the bonus career retrospective, Essential Cuts. If you missed out on the show, we’d highly recommend you make to at least one of Collett’s annual Basement Revue Series at The Dakota come December. Ticket info can be found here.
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