Ottawa parties hard with Eric Church
Eric Church fired up an unlimited supply of beer-drinking, pot-smoking anthems that sent the party into overdrive on a Saturday night at Canadian Tire Centre, part of his Outsiders world tour.
One of Nashville’s biggest stars, Church attracted a rowdy crowd of 12,000 or so, mostly young, inebriated and wearing plaid shirts. Despite increased security measures at the door and a strong police presence, the entire concert was marked by pungent clouds of smoke and a general atmosphere of letting loose. At least one fan made it up on stage, while another bunch in the stands threw punches at each other until officers dragged them off.
Except for the drunken hooligans, it was a great show. Church has come a long way since the bare-bones production of his last tour, which stopped in Ottawa last year. This time, he’s travelling with an elaborate, multi-catwalk stage, a dazzling light show and a giant inflatable devil with evil, glowing eyes.
In blue jeans, black T-shirt and aviator shades, the hunky singer kicked things off with the swaggering title track to his latest album, The Outsiders, the air filling with smoke before he even got to the line about getting a little higher. Acoustic guitar in hand and a top-notch band behind him, he tore through the slinky Creepin’, Guys Like Me, and the escapist ode I’m Getting’ Stoned.
“You guys feel like gettin’ stoned?” he asked, the cloud of smoke serving as a response. He was obviously impressed by the hard-partying throngs. “I remember your crazy asses from the last time we were here.”
Church is a talented songwriter and bandleader, and has no shortage of musical chops, but he didn’t have much opportunity to do anything but singalong anthems, fuelling the excitement of the crowd.
Judging by the shouting and whooping, he could do no wrong with songs like Pledge Allegiance to the Hag, Drink in My Hand, Sinners Like Me and Cold One. The one dark horse was a version of The Joint, requested by a fan. It was another pot-friendly tune that Church said they had never played live before, and he stumbled a bit with the lyrics, losing a bit of the pace.
It didn’t take long to get back on track. And by the time he got to his breakthrough hit, Springsteen, the crowd was eating out of his hand. No doubt, it was a memorable show, although perhaps more for the extent of the partying than the music.
However, kudos are due to Church for not only bringing the legendary Dwight Yoakam and his band along for the ride, but also giving them a generous opening set, almost an hour long.
The Kentucky-born singerguitarist came out with a roar, practically leaping into Dim Lights, Thick Smoke. In faded denim and a white cowboy hat, he was the perfect guy to give a lesson in classic rockabilly-laced country to the young and boisterous crowd, cruising through an inspired selection of songs, including Please Please Baby, Little Sister, Streets of Bakersfield, his signature Honky Tonk Man, A Thousand Miles From Nowhere and Guitars, Cadillacs. Behind him, his band members, clad in matching, bedazzled jackets, dug in.
With a nod to the support he’s had from Canadian fans over the years, Yoakam reached back to his first album for the whiskey sting of It Won’t Hurt. But he also played a triumphant new song, Second Hand Heart, that showed there’s still plenty of juice in his decades-long career. At one point, he mentioned his quest for a record company to put out his next record. Label execs should take note: Yoakam gave an excellent performance, sure to be remembered by several thousand fans in each city.
In the first opening spot, Brandy Clark demonstrated her knack for songwriting with a selection of melodic story songs, often with a humorous twist. Accompanied by a slick five-piece band, the dark-haired singer-guitarist made a terrific impression, reeling ’em in with the infectious twang of songs like Stripes and Big Day in a Small Town, but then compelling us to listen to the lyrics, which ranged from the tender piano ballad Hold My Hand to the mischievous tale of escapism, Get High. Clark also supplied a bit of a songwriting resume with a medley of her tunes recorded by other artists, including Better Dig Two (Band Perry) and Mama’s Broken Heart (Miranda Lambert).