Sloan
5/19/7
Cabaret Metro in Chicago
This was my third time seeing Sloan who are touring on their most recently released album Never Hear the End of it, which has its fair share of rockers and gems to be quite well rounded, thoughtful and catchy at the same time. Though they played many songs off of this album, they as always delved into the crevices of their past albums and songs for an almost two hour long set including the encore. As before, the four main members (Andrew Scott, Chris Murphy, Patrick Pentland, and Jay Ferguson) hammed it up in their various spotlights. For those who haven’t seen Sloan before, what really sets them apart from other bands is the dynamic nature of their stage presence and their ability to switch instruments and vocals. This time, I felt even more so that there wasn’t a true lead singer of the band as they seemed to all share the audience’s attention evenly with Patrick and Jay in particular participating in just as many gestures and kicks as Chris Murphy. And though Andrew is the most subtle when he takes to the front of the stage to sing lead vocals, he’s one of the best drummers I’ve ever seen.
I’ve been folllowing the career of Canadian rockers Sloan for quite some time. In fact, my earliest memory of them is when I saw in a Toronto mall (may have been Eaton Center or Scarborough mall nearby where my family was fond of camping when I was younger) a large cardboard cutout of the band advertising a contest in which the winner would be entitled to have Sloan play at his or her high school. Sloan’s sound has really evolved in the past few years and definitely since then…this was probably more around the time Smeared was released. They’ve gone through their more classic rock stage with my favorite album of theirs Abbey Road reminiscent Between the Bridges as well as their nearly arena rock stage with albums like Action Pact. Though perhaps they will never be as famous as fellow Canadian rockers Rush, the sound of Geddy Lee screeching is rather intolerable compared to the poppy melodic voices of Chris, Patrick, Jay, and Andrew. I believe Gregory MacDonald (who isn’t officially listed as in the band so I’m not yet sure if he will be a permanent member) may have provided some backup vocals as well at some points but it was difficult to hear him as well as see him as he was on the stage behind Jay.
Because I’ve been listening to Sloan since their early days, it’s really difficult for me to figure out how one might approach their sound if they were just starting out. Though Between the Bridges is definitely still my favorite of theirs, hearing the new songs on album and live would, I imagine, be as good of a place as any to start for a newcomer and I would recommend picking it up. Just don’t forget to go back and appreciate the whole history and develop your own personal favorites and memories as that’s sort of what music is all about, isn’t it?
Visit and hear more of Sloan’s songs on myspace
setlist:
