Hayden Performance "Effortless" Success

Music Hall

Toronto, Ontario

on Feb 19 2008

Cameron Gordon (CHARTattack)

02/20/2008 12:00pm

With the recent release of his fifth album and an army of ardent followers, Toronto's Hayden is nothing if not consistent. What this Thornlea Secondary School alumnus lacks in self-promotion, he makes up for in self-awareness and as a result, he can still pack theatres such as the Music Hall with little to no effort. His new In Field & Town full-length is a quality addition to the legacy and Hayden can easily command an audience with an effortless blend of growls, guffaws, piano licks and jagged acoustic guitar. No percussion. No bass. No accompaniment aside from the odd bit of trumpet. This was a man alone in his element. End of story.

Kicking things off with "I Should Have Been Watching You" from 2001's Skyscraper National Park, Hayden brought some severity to his guitar with a series of plodding, deliberate strums. He looked more and more like a young Cat Stevens by the minute and as he willed his way through the tune, the audience remained respectfully silent. To their credit, the 1,000-plus fans were on their best behaviour throughout the night, aside from the odd jerkface yelling "I love you" or "I hate bunkbeds" through the hush.

Almost as entertaining as the music was Hayden's stage banter, which alternated between dry, drier and really, really, extremely dry. His trademark self-deprecating wit was in place, whether he was calling himself out as "rhythmically challenged" or referring to the cautionary bear attack tune "Killbear" as a "love song." His manner is so unequivocally natural, and the appeal of Hayden's music is the fact that it celebrates the banal and can turn such mundane subject matter as streetcars and his cat into really solid tunes.

Hayden placated the oldsters in the audience with "Stem" from 1995's Everything I Long For but otherwise steered fairly clear of his 1990s output. He focused instead on the newer material, which was equally well received. Whether it was the plucky, piano-based "Damn This Feeling" or the scrappy, guitar-based folk of "Home By Saturday," Hayden had the audience in the palm of his hand for 90 minutes and probably could have burped into the microphone to great fanfare, if he was so inclined.

The encore eventually came and the second set opener "Weight Of the World" inspired some heavy necking action a few rows up (Stage right. Halfway to the back. Get a room, would ya?). Hayden played his trademark tune "Bad As They Seem" two songs later and to avoid any "creepiness" (his words), he aged his love interest in the song from 16 to 23. A good call from an artist, who is incredibly pushing 40 and improving with each passing year along the way.