Sam Roberts Band Do Jekyll And Hyde Act

The Phoenix

Toronto, ON

on Apr 27 2006

Aaron Brophy (CHARTattack)

04/28/2006 3:00pm

The two faces of Sam Roberts aren't his totally cute clean-shaven phase and his bearded, smoldering eyes period as so many of the wide-eyed ladies at the Phoenix Thursday night would have liked to believe.

No, the true polarity during his Toronto return was the subtle yet clear separation between Sam Roberts, creator of We Were Born In A Flame, heir to the Can-rock throne and beer-hoist rock overlord, and Sam Roberts, citizen of Chemical City, world traveller and emerging purveyor of psych-rock anthems.

The set list was the first indication of the inner conflict. It was split almost evenly between the hits from the Flame record and the newer City material, a careful balance designed to make sure those who had almost forgotten Roberts in the three years since the release of his last album wouldn't be left behind.

The real bob-and-weave came with the actual playing of the songs, though. "Where Have All The Good People Gone" was the consummate crowd-pleaser and flagbearer for the Flame side. It featured a lengthy "whoa-ho" back-and-forth with the crowd and Roberts' spirited cajoling of the audience. Its immediate follow-up, "Mind Flood," turned the tables entirely. This one, a slow-builder that descends into Creation Records-styled guitar screech madness seemed much more where the band wanted to be. It wasn't Roberts baiting the crowd, it was Robert, bassist James Hall and guitarist Dave Nugent lined across the front of the stage, heads banging, furiously punching at their instruments.

Similarly, the difference in presentation between the bongo-aided clapalong/singalong of "Brother Down" and the far more stern playing of "An American Draft Dodger In Thunder Bay" couldn't be ignored. Roberts raising his beer to the crowd between songs wasn't affected, it was a genuine, earnest gesture. But the self-involved angst of "Brother Down" was tempered rather quickly by the band diving into the weighty and more worldly subject matter of "Draft Dodger."

The band's workmanlike focus was equally strong when it came to other Chemical City tracks, like the sterling love song "With A Bullet" and the propulsive freak-out of "The Gate." It was an intensity far more welcome than the obligatory boogie of encore track "Don't Walk Away Eileen."

The end result of this delicate dance is quite the dilemma for the Sam Roberts Band. Their new record is excellent — deep, complex and exceedingly adventurous for the perceived confines of a Can-rock band. Their meal ticket, however, remains firmly based in the feel-good lighter waving anthems of their last record.

They're both great on their own, but this night, as the band attempted to weave the two together throughout the set, the result was patchy and uneven. At some point, likely sooner rather than later, the Sam Roberts Band are going to have to confront this dilemma: will it be the love songs and anthems or will it be freak-outs and psychedelic trips? Doing all of the above isn't working that well and it's going to take some more time for the true face of the Sam Roberts Band to emerge.

Set list:
"Mystified, Heavy"
"Rarified"
"Hard Road"
"The Resistance"
"The Bootleg Saint"
"Brother Down"
"An American Draft Dodger In Thunder Bay"
"Taj Mahal"
"Bridge To Nowhere"
"With A Bullet"
"Where Have All The Good People Gone"
"Mind Flood"

Encore:
"The Gate"
"Uprising Down Under"
"Don't Walk Away Eileen"
"Paranoia"