On the Road Again
Live Reviews:

Hayden
December 3, 1998
Richard's On Richards, Vancouver, BC

"I hope the guy who was looking for 'shrooms' earlier found them," said Hayden Desser, in his signature monotone voice as he gazed down at the audience seated in a circular pow-wow on the dance floor-as if waiting for him to light a campfire. "I mean he asked me if I had any."

One of the great things about Hayden shows, besides his signature sound, are the hilarious stories he tells between songs. Fondly referred to as 'Canada's Great White Mope' Hayden's comedic timing could definitely get him a few stand-up gigs if he ever quit singing. Lulling the audience into a trance from the get-go with the floating and emotional "Between Us To Hold", to a sparse performance of "Hardly" and the dreamy "You were Loved". The 90 minute set was evenly culled from albums Everything I Long For (1995) and this year's The Closer I Get. It was an evening full of music that takes audiences to a freeze-frame world, where time seems to exist in slow motion and everyone is trapped between sleep and rock and roll.

According to his songs and performances, Hayden stops to smell the flowers. Even breathing, to Hayden seems poetic; he is a truly idealistic spirit and his songs do not escape from feeling but rather, journey through them. On tour for the first time with a full band, including a back-up singer and a cellist, Hayden's songwriting remained as self-consciously wrapped as ever in his own sense of nostalgia and retro sonic sensibilities. The full force of Hayden hits were felt with edgy band performances of crowd favorites "Bad as They Seem" and "The Hazards of Sitting Beneath Palm Trees."

A hippie girl during a bathroom break described Hayden as: "No coast. He's not from the East or West. Hayden is unearthly...". I couldn't have said it better myself.