Concert Review: City and Colour Shines in Buffalo on a Wintry Night

By Tony Astran

For those expecting an amazing concert Saturday night at the Town Ballroom, City and Colour did not disappoint. The sold-out show offered a few surprises, too--mostly good, some disappointing.

The Town Ballroom was a perfect venue, sporting a medium-sized, yet intimate half-circle-shaped pit with plenty of seats. And yet, as cozy as it seemed, it was packed to the gills. The concert, which had sold out just a few weeks (perhaps days) after going on sale in mid-November, filled every seat and standing room-only spots. (I'd estimate upwards of 1,000 people in attendance.)

All seemed fitting for City and Colour, the acoustic/alternative/mellow rock "side project" of mastermind Dallas Green. (City and Colour. Dallas Green. Get it?) Green is a budding musical prodigy who first drew attention in Canada as a member of the heavy metal band Alexisonfire. But other than the theme of a few of Green's many tattoos on his arms and neck, you'd hardly guess he'd first started in a band where screaming was the norm. In fact, Green's spellbinding singing voice could be described as something between Christopher Cross and Johnny Rzeznik.

After City and Colour's breakthrough, Juno Award-winning debut album of 2005, Sometimes, the latest album, Bring Me Your Love, has gained even more acclaim, being recently named to the "best of 2008" albums for both MySpace and iTunes. And Saturday night's show certainly featured many of those tracks. Nine out of the album's 12, in fact.

But there was a twist. And, at first, it left me wondering, "Will the real Dallas Green please step forward? 

For tonight's show, Dallas brought four musicians--one drummer, three guitarists--to play on tracks. Fans of City and Colour are accustomed to Green's amazing ability to blend deep, meaningful lyrics with rich melodies--most often with a minimalist, acoustic quality. Title song "Bring Me Your Love," in fact, makes abundant use of instruments such as the steel guitar, banjo, and harmonica, and seldom incorporates drums.

Last night, however, the music first sounded like a hard rock concert--perhaps even bordering a bit on an Alexisonfire performance. It worked sometimes. And sometimes it didn't.

The first five numbers were performed with the full band. The noise was a bit grating and disappointing at times, particularly with too much bass reverberation on "Sam Malone" and an unfortunate drowning out of Green's voice and intricate lead guitar melody on the hit, "Waiting...." I was beginning to worry that maybe Green, through his experimentation, had begun to take the "Coldplay route"; i.e., initially draw in fans with deep lyrics, rich melodies, pianos, and acoustic guitars--only later to get so caught up in gravitas and overdone music, that some of the initial "simple brilliance" would fade away.

But then, two nice surprises happened.

First, the fifth song played should have been a sleeper, but turned out incredible. The title tune to "Sometimes" is a bit long and repetitive on the album, but with the band it was an entirely different song. Suddenly, instead of the raucous guitar noises of the first four songs, the sound became a bit bluesy. The backup vocals also aligned in perfect harmony.

Second, after that rousing rendition, Green did what fans had probably been hoping for: play solo. Most of the remaining 14 songs, in fact, went back to the customary acoustic style that has earned City and Colour its well-deserved attention. And once again, just like with "Sometimes," the band came back on to make the otherwise so-so album song, "As Much As I Ever Could," one of the best performances of the night, by focusing on harmonies and soulful overtones.

The crowd got involved, too. As per typical concerts, there were sing-alongs during the hit tracks, "Sleeping Sickness," and "Comin' Home," and plenty of rhythmic claps. But the crowd involvement also became a major hindrance.

All surprises aside, the overall show was--as expected--brilliant. (Please see the video clip at YouTube for a sample of how mesmerizing Green's voice can be. Sorry for the poor quality.)

One other very nice surprise was the opening act, William Elliott Whitmore.  He showed a mastery of how to do more with less, starting the show with an a cappella performance, using just his voice and a foot stomp to keep beat. Whitmore's lyrics, while often focused on dark realities of life, seemed to transcend time. It was gritty, authentic, and unpretentious. Whitmore's slight Southern twang in his rich, baritone voice, combined with a riveting banjo pick on most tracks, sounded a bit like Tom Waits (if Tom Waits had a smoother voice and could get the darned frog out of his throat).

Like Green, Whitmore also infused meaningful lyrics and stories with chilling melodies. A few standout lines: "One man's story is another man's shame. / I ain't bound for glory, I'm bound for flames.  Sometimes it seems that all that matters most are all the things that you can't keep."

Fans stayed throughout Whitmore's short - but packed - set (40 minutes, 11 songs) and seemed to cheer louder as it progressed. They even showed some Buffalo hospitality: one audience member quickly delivered a beer when Whitmore commented he had forgotten to bring one on stage.

For what was a miserable night of traveling, fans were happy to brave the elements. A packed Town Ballroom got what they had hoped--musical genius--and then some. City and Colour could have easily sold out a second night if not for the fact they were headed to additional cities on their U.S. tour.

Despite a handful of unruly fans, the show was a reminder of why Buffalo's proximity to Canada is so wonderful. Besides the obvious help to our economy with extra dollars that Canadians spend. It's only fitting that a great cultural city like ours would have the luxury of exposure to a wide array of musical artists. But no surprises there.

And unless Green's "side project" comes to an abrupt end, don't be surprised to hear more of City and Colour in the years to come.