The Trews hit The Burt as Bleeker sets stage

TicketMOMster Review: The Trews @ The Burt

I really like The Trews. I own most of their albums and I have very fond memories of their acoustic tour; I caught that show twice. Somewhere around 2011, I became extremely busy with the birth of my daughter and I lost track of them.

I remember preparing this show’s presale password for my Twitter page, when I suddenly noticed something strange about the band photo. Who’s THAT guy???

THAT guy is Gavin Maguire and he has replaced the only musician that smiled in The Trews, Sean Dalton. Crap…alright well, bands are forever changing and sometimes that change is for the better. I bought my ticket.

I first saw Bleeker Ridge (now known as “Bleeker”) during my practicum at Power 97 and I was surprised they’re still around. Not because they weren’t good, but because when I first saw them, they were a young band. Young bands, for the most part, are volatile. Apparently, Bleeker was a victim of that volatility (they lost two members), but they somehow managed to keep a band together. My best guess is because vocalist Taylor Perkins is doing something right.

Bleeker is the reason everyone should go to shows early to see the warm up band. Yeah, you can quote me on that.

The purpose of a warm up band (as I understand them) is to “warm up” the audience. To rev up their energy in anticipation of the band they paid to see.

Surprisingly, there are plenty of bands who aren’t good at that. Maybe they’re mismatched with the headliner. Maybe they’re shy or nervous or withdrawn. Maybe they intentionally or unintentionally insult the audience. When that connection isn’t there, the audience may feel restless instead of revved up; they can’t wait for the band to get off stage.

Here’s a list of things Taylor Perkins did right during this show to warm up the audience:

1. He was comfortable on stage and his actions and words suited his large stage personality.

2. He was entertaining and always moving around which kept people’s attention.

3. The band was heavy and Taylor had a good voice and a great scream.

4. He interacted with the crowd in a way that made them receptive. THIS PART IS HUGE. Here’s how he did it: he asked for very little. He asked us to give him a golf clap and nothing more…but we had to clap just above chest level or it didn’t count. In terms of energy output, who can’t do that? So we all golf clapped.

Then he asked us to clap a little higher and then a little higher and higher and suddenly everyone was clapping over their heads and using way more energy than he had originally asked for. He used this technique to make us stand and even to make us dance. And we were receptive to it, because he always started off with very small requests that anyone could do.

By the last song, the whole first balcony was standing and clapping and that doesn’t happen very often for a warm up band. Bleeker succeeded, we were energized; and I was thrilled to see a job well done by a band I had zero expectations for. Money well spent and I’d see them again. They’d be awesome at The Pyramid.

I’m always partial to Canadian bands, especially hard working Canadian bands. I want to see great shows out of them; I want them to succeed. Which is why it pains me to say this was my least favourite show by The Trews.

If you were at the show, this opinion may surprise you. From what I observed, the crowd was riled up by Bleeker and that energy continued and intensified during The Trews’ set. Bleeker revved me up, but I left disappointed at the end.

Most of my complaints are about the sound and lighting. I don’t remember a Trews show ever being that loud. It was like the engineer turned the sound to 11, kicked their feet up and played Candy Crush for the rest of the show. It was thumping in my chest and I really don’t like shows that try and blow me out of my seat with sound. Improper sound is a disservice to The Trews.

Secondly, the lighting was awful due to poor stage set up. They had two large clothing racks with three sets of lights on each rack. The lights rotated towards the audience which meant everyone in the audience was getting blinded for a good portion of the show. I don’t mind being blinded once in awhile, but this was extreme. I’m still seeing spots.

Lastly,…I really missed Sean. I mean Gavin is fine, but I missed Sean’s energy. Pout.

If you were in the crowd, you may have loved this:

– “Paranoid Freak” – especially when keyboardist, Jeff Heisholt went insane on the keys near the end.

– “Sing Your Heart Out” – the crowd DID sing their heart out and it was cool how vocalist, Colin MacDonald inserted Pink Floyd’s “Mother” into the middle.

– Singing “Tired Of Waiting”…loudly.

– Gavin’s cowbell solo.

– “Hold Me In Your Arms” – with The Guess Who’s “American Woman” in the middle (I admit, that song was great loud).

– The acoustic songs (they were probably my favourite).

By the end, everyone was standing and the first balcony was actually shaking (mental note: do not sit under the first balcony anymore).

They came back for a three song encore and probably could have come out for a second encore. No one even attempted to leave until the house lights went up.

Will I see The Trews again? Definitely. Everyone is allowed (what I consider) a bad show(s). I’m hoping by next time the sound and lighting issues are cleared up.

Good night.

TicketMOMster is a Rock and Jazz-loving Mom; single-handedly keeping Ticketmaster alive in Winnipeg. Follow her musical journey here: www.facebook.com/TicketMOMsters