NonPopulus

I'm glad you folks had fun in Ottawa! You're right about Matt's setlist too. My girlfriend got his in Nanaimo.

Oh my goodness. I was not aware of this! Did everything turn out ok, mrchipps? I'm glad you still enjoyed the show. It was one of my favorite shows and when my friend told me a lady asked us to sit, I was like, "ok, if that's the vibe." Like I said, I couldn't hear the exchange of words with my earplugs. Also, I'm guessing you must have been a couple rows back at least, because all the action was happening behind me. It was a bummer to sit, but definitely not worth a fight! I lost my spot to a younger woman at a festival, and when she became aggressive and threatening, my girlfriend and I were just kind of like, "not worth it."

It was audible applause over Cold Water.

Well, an audible number of people applauded. It sounded like a decent amount.

Last night was my thirteenth show. The sitting thing seems to be pretty common to me at MG shows. I think only four of the shows have been GA, two of them being acoustic, so that doesn't give me a really great sample to work with. I was at the front for all of those though and had no trouble.

I don't know. Since I personally experienced it last night, I can say it really hurt the experience for my friend, especially when the people behind us applauded when we sat down. I don't get it. I think it has a lot to do with a lot of people being there for a social experience and not the music.

I was one of the two standing in row G with my friend. I wear earplugs at shows, because I go to a lot of them and I already have tinnitus from loud rock music, so I'm trying to protect my hearing from further damage. I couldn't hear the audience behind us, but apparently there was a very obnoxious guy chiding us and telling us to sit down during Cold Water. I'm paraphrasing, but I believe he was like, "Sit down! This is a slow song!" My friend to the left of me, who was also sitting, turned around and told him to be quiet in a very firm way. A lady came down and spoke to my friend and she asked us to sit, because the guy yelling at us was ruining it for everyone. My standing friend was very upset, because he couldn't understand why everyone would come and sit at a rock show.

Calgary: A Single Explosion Born Losers Load Me Up Alert Status Red Harridan Cold water All You Sons and Daughters Army of Lions Everything is Automatic Advertising on Police Cars Cloudbusting Los Alamos Apparitions Weapon Giant Hello Time Bomb Tiger by the Tail Girls in Black

I'm glad you enjoyed it! Only about 30 minutes to Helman. You must be excited!

What did you think? Soundcheck: Tiger by the Tail Blue Skies Over Bad Lands Everything is Automatic A Single Explosion (testing "dramatic lighting") Acoustic: Prime Time Deliverance How it Goes Metal Airplanes True Love Will Find You in the End

Thanks for the great pictures! I see myself in a whole bunch of them. Haha.

Judging by the VIP in Edmonton, you'll definitely be able to get close enough. I wouldn't worry too much. You're going to love it. I'm also now on my way to Calgary. This is my third show of the tour and lucky 13th overall. I would really love to hear Harridan and Tiger tonight.

Edmonton: All You Sons and Daughters No Liars A Single Explosion Born Losers Advertising on Police Cars Cold Water Everything is Automatic Army of Lions Kid Down the Well Load Me Up Alert Status Rws Los Alamos Apparitions Weapon Cloudbusting Giant Hello Time Bomb Girls in Black

Edmonton: Soundcheck Blue Sky Over Bad Lands Kid Down the Well Everything is Automatic Cold Water Acoustic Omissions of the Omen Sort of a Protest Song Metal Airplanes True Love Will Find You in the End

Only about an hour until the VIP experience begins in Edmonton. I'm looking forward to great things!

Pretty jealous! Harridan No Liars All You Sons and Daughters Cold Water Moment Kid Down The Well Army of Lions Sort of a Protest Song (Acoustic) Prime Time Deliverance (Acoustic) Strange Days (Acoustic) True Love Will Find You in the End Los Alamos Tiger by the Tail Apparitions A Single Explosion Born Losers Load Me Up Hello Time Bomb Weapon Giant Alert Status Red Advertising On Police Cars

Awesome. Now we need some The Rat Who Would be King.

I enjoyed it immensely! I think everyone who plans on attending a show this tour is going to really enjoy themselves.

Army of Lions is an amazing song. I really enjoy the album version. All I was getting it is that I wish it was longer. It was very powerful live though, which is what I was hoping for.

This is my second show at the Port Theatre. I've seen MG in different locations across Canada and a lot of venues he or his management choose to utilize for tours are not so much rock venues. The size of venue he requires usually mandates these small multi-use seated theatres with an elderly staff of volunteers, quaint wine bar, etc. The only time I've seen him in indoor GA environments have been acoustic shows and once at The Ranch in Edmonton, which was pretty loud and energetic. I think a lot of donors and founders of these little theaters are fans of the "fine arts," like stage plays, ensemble music, etc, so that's what they're really geared towards. Nanaimo this time around was amazing though. Great energy, great acoustics.

Haha. Agreed on both points.

They probably are! Some anonymous person commenting about Scott Helman shouldn't stop you from doing what you love and writing what you feel. Charles Bulowski used very plain language and was crass, but to me, he was still profound in a way, because he lived. Do you know what I mean? If I don't like a song because I don't feel it, it doesn't mean I think the artist should give up and never try again. If Scott Helman is enjoying and feeling his music and it touches someone in a way that say, Hospital Music touched me, then that's fantastic!

I'm not just talking about that one line. It's a mentality and a mindset. I guess seeing the world through the lens of those songs just isn't something I can relate to. I know Matt used to write the occasional clunker of a line back in the day, which he even denigrates himself for. To me, even Symbolistc White Walls is a more advanced and nuanced take on the world. His story about this Machine song was something along the lines of "we were in a bar talking about the current state of the world and our lives and then everyone starting tweeting and left feeling worse than before." Ok? So... We're more than machines? We're unique? We're all special? Constant use of smart phones and not interacting face to face is bad? I'm just missing what's so heart-wrenching and profound here. Anyways, Matt was in top form last night and I wish success to Scott Helman. If you can make it in the world of music, then all the power to you. If you like it, all the power to you. I'm just not one for the profundity of high school poetry slams. That's how it kind of comes off.

I'm glad Matt is giving Scott Helman a chance for exposure to a different crowd (and vice versa for Matt to a lesser extent, I guess.) However, to me, Scott Helman is just more of the same old same old acoustic-driven pop rock, and some of his lyrics are just inane. "Circuits freeze and androids never dream. You're more than a machine." Cool, man. Very deep. I just don't know how I feel being pontificated to by a 20 year old between songs. Can anyone comment on the in-between song banter from the opening act?

Well, there was a guy in the audience calling for Load Me Up, and after they played it Matt asked, "have you moved on to another song?" The crowd was pretty docile until Everything is Automatic. From what I could tell, everyone was seated. There were no hecklers and Matt seemed to be in a really good mood.