The Weakerthans Etching Place In Can-rock Storybook

The Phoenix Concert Theatre

Toronto, ON

on Nov 8 2008

Cameron Gordon (CHARTattack)

11/09/2007 1:00pm

In many respects, Winnipeg is the rock 'n' roll hub of the central Canada. From The Guess Who right through The Watchmen, The Waking Eyes and that throaty dude from Crash Test Dummies, the city holds a special place in Canadian rock folklore. The Weakerthans occupy a chapter in that story and although, 2007's Reunion Tour is only their fourth full-length, the band continue to dazzle fans and critics alike with their honest, earnest take on indie rock.

John K. Samson and friends are just about the most affable rockers known to man and even the tastefully restrained material from Reunion Tour was presented with a charming likability that was hard to ignore, even if it didn't always raise the energy level in the room. A few grins and the odd off-the-cuff remark about curling accounted for the between-song filler, as the band instead chose to let their music do most the talking. They gave the badly overstuffed Phoenix exactly what it was looking for.

The Weakerthans have tightened their grip on dynamics in recent years and the gorgeous arrangements that temper new tunes such as "Night Windows" look good on a band now entering their second decade. With the versatile Jim Bryson now in the fold, the band are straying into serious roots rock territory and, given Samson's casual performance style and plain-speak delivery, the move isn't necessarily a bad one.

Whereas other Reunion Tour cuts such as "Relative Surplus Value" and the zippy "Tournament Of Hearts" were met with equal parts aplomb and applause, it was no surprise that the older material got the biggest rise out of the crowd. "Aside" was the first step in this direction and hits "The Reasons," "Watermark" and "Plea From A Cat Named Virtute" were gobbled up by fans hungry for nostalgia.

The epic "Left And Leaving" hit mid-set, and it's still one of those tracks that can absolutely silence a room by mere virtue of its sad, stark beauty. That said, the couple beside me started to engage in some serious French kissing and other PDAs once the first chord struck, so no accounting for tact, I suppose.

A two-tiered encore wrapped up the evening and lifted the remaining nuggets from the repertoire. A trombone player guested on a stripped-down version of "Bigfoot!" for all of 20 seconds, but, otherwise, the eight-song extra set featured a torrid version of "Confessions Of A Futon-Revolutionist" and a suitably bare run-through of "One Great City" as its highlights.

With the perfect blend of old and new, The Weakerthans' act never seems to age and, even though they're not on the road as much as the once were, the sheer quantity and quality of their back catalogue makes them one of Canada's most dependable and assuredly enjoyable live acts.