Sloan: Live at Crocks- October 16th 2019

Wednesday night and Sloan are back! Back folks to this sleepy little Northern Town that over the years Sloan has graciously performed there own brand of power pop to the faithful who don’t view Wednesday as a work night but a live music night!

Thanks must be made to local promoter Guru Frank Loffredo who keeps bringing these bands back to Tbay. Without him, the live scene here in the Bay would be well, no scene!

Shortly after 9pm Patrick Pentland/Chris Murphy/Andrew Scott and Jay Ferguson hit the stage with one of the best opening killer riffs in   Murphy’s ‘She Says What She Means’. C’mon C’mon (We’re Gonna Get It Started) the second song by Jay is a great tune that sets the plate for the awesome ‘Iggy And Angus’ by Patrick and we have officially lifted off. From there it was followed by the remaining 10 tracks that make up the current ‘Navy Blues’ Tour that has Sloan performing the album in its entirety.

Hard to believe to us as the listener that Navy Blues is 21 years young. I’m sure to the Sloaners it must be as well but Jay and Chris have stepped up to coincide with the tour a limited edition box set (1200 only) of Navy Blues which includes the full album on vinyl along with demos/booklet/digital download etc.

The songs from Navy Blues come across brilliantly in a live atmosphere and isn’t it amazing that one of the band’s biggest hits in ‘Money City Maniacs’ is the sixth song in the show!  That right there tells you the depth of there catalog which is pretty phenomenal that Sloan is sticking by the running order of the original album.

One of the highlights is when Andrew steps up from behind his kit and straps on his guitar while Chris hops on the drums and Jay hops on the bass and they launch into Andrew’s brilliant ‘Sinking Ships’.

Once the first set of tunes ended with Patricks ‘I’m Not Through With You Yet’. Murphy addressed the crowd and said to stick around!

My good Pal Tbone (who joined me) wasn’t going anywhere!

After 20 minutes or so the band kicked off Set 2  with ‘Flying High Again.’ From there another 15 songs came at us! ‘Who Taught You To Live Like That/The Lines You Amend/Coax Me/Three Sisters’  and another  highlight when Scott came out from behind his drum kit and did  ‘People of the Sky’ with the classic line of,

It’s like a three-legged dog
In search of a crutch
Ba ba ba da ba
Dissecting in past
All the motives of such

The cowbell  (by Gregory MacDonald who also provided backing vocals/keys/guitar)driven excellently sung Pentland track ‘Live On’ had the crowd clapping along while Sloan ended the night with ‘The Rest of My Life’.

Sloan left albeit shortly and returned with ‘The Other Man’ which like many a song this night featured crowd participation and the band headed straight to the finish line with ‘The Good In Everyone!’

This is mine and Tbone’s third show in a row(in the last 4 years) catching Sloan here in Tbay and they never disappoint live. With Sloan, you get your money’s worth and more!

I have to add its always cool that Sloan will come out once they’re done and talk to people. Tonight it was Chris Murphy who always is readily available to spend a few minutes chatting. Give these guys credit as they don’t play the bullshit game of charging for Meet N Greets!

We(Tbone and I) chatted up about the various influences we hear in Sloan’s tunes like The Beatles/KISS etc with Chris and of course, I had to ask him if there was perhaps another live album in the making since the last live Sloan came out back in 1999 ( 4 Nights at the Palais).

Chris told me “people don’t really dig live albums anymore”. I was like ‘What?! I do!’.  Fair enough and Tbone snapped a few pictures and off we went into the cold crisp fall air of Tbay.

Great Show and if Sloan hits your Town. GO!

All pics courtesy of ‘Boozin Wobble’ 

 

 

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