METRIC, SHEEPDOGS ROCK CUP CELEBRATION
Stanley Cup Tribute Metric, Sheepdogs, Bobby Bazini, Kevin Bazinet Canadian Tire Centre The Stanley Cup had a heck of a 125th birthday party at the Canadian Tire Centre on Friday.
Hosted by Ottawa-area hockey nerd Liam Maguire, the celebration featured stories, video clips, special guests and a top-notch roster of Canadian musical talent that included Metric, the Sheepdogs and Bobby Bazini.
Elevated on a secondary stage in the middle of the room, the Cup itself shone in the spotlight as the action unfolded around it.
Never far from the gleaming trophy was Maguire, who gave the event a talk show-style format. Interviews with NHL legends, including Dave Keon, Bernie Parent, Bryan Trottier, Frank Mahovlich and Guy Lafleur, alternated with video montages and the bands’ performances.
Anyone who thought they were going to a plain old rock concert would have been surprised at the wordiness of the proceedings. Maguire was an engaging host, however, with a steady stream of facts, details and statistics to fuel his interviews. Co-host Chantal Machabee handled the Frenchlanguage duties, making it a bilingual event.
The elder players shared some great stories of memorable goals, locker-room superstitions and what it’s like to win the Cup early in your career.
“It was my second year and I thought this happened every year,” said Keon of the Leafs’ 1962 triumph, to a round of laughter.
As for the music, it was a highoctane program jammed into a limited time slot, with each band playing a half dozen or so songs.
On a normal night, Metric and the Sheepdogs would attract a few thousand fans each. But with St. Patrick’s Day festivities in full swing across the city and a million other things going on this month, fewer than 2,000 fans turned out for the Cup-themed celebration, even with a lineup strong on both hockey names and musical talent.
Toronto’s Metric closed the night with a compelling display of synth-propelled rock. In a black leather jacket, frontwoman Emily Haines was an electrifying force as the band settled into a set that included Youth Without Youth and Help I’m Alive, to name a few.
Earlier in the evening, the Sheepdogs blasted through a condensed version of their set, the lineup augmented by the talents of Ontario guitarist Jimmy Bowskill, who’s now a touring member of the band. From Feeling Good to I Don’t Know, it was an efficient demonstration of the band’s groove-driven swagger.
Quebec crooner Bobby Bazini performed with his full band, complete with backup singers, showing off the rasp-tinged soul of his voice on a selection of emotion-filled songs, mostly from his latest album, Summer Is Gone.
Bazini’s younger brother, Kevin Bazinet, was the first musical performer, a nervous-looking fellow in a bowtie who took a couple of songs to find his footing. He played as part of an acoustic trio.