Yeah, you caught me…trying to put a clever twist on the Five Days in July album title from Canadian treasure Blue Rodeo.

ATV reader “oldmanflint” was lucky enough to attend two out of the four recent California area dates from Blue Rodeo. The review of one of those shows was shared previously in the comments section of this post.

Now, thanks to “oldmanflint,” here is the review of the acoustic show at McCabe’s! Thanks very much for sharing this with all of us!

Enjoy!

Blue Rodeo’s acoustic show at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica was
a perfect companion show to their show the previous night at The Mint.
Both venues hold about 200 people. The Mint is all standing, electric with
a 2 foot high stage with no seperation from the crowd and offering a bar well
stocked with micro brews which obviously leads to a looser audience. Maple
flavored new best comrades singing every word to every song.

At McCabe’s, the stage is raised, removed 5 feet from the front row. Not a
complaint, just attempting to set the scene. McCabes shows are alcohol free
and seated in the back room of the store. Considering the gorgeous merchandise
hanging from the walls, subdued crowd behavior is a must. (A one point the
fellow behind me suggested Keelor could just work his way down the wall through all the big hollow bodies hanging there.

Acoustic in this sense meant Keelor & Cuddy played acoustic guitars all night
and drummer Glenn Milchem worked the hell out of a lone snare. Bob Egan,
Basil Donovan and (touring) piano/organist Michael Boguski were all plugged
in, but at the lowered volume and the cordiality of the crowd allowed for unheard of textures, especially between the Hammond B3 sound and the pedal steel. I’ve not missed these textures before, but they are certainly not as pertinent in an electric setting.

(A word or 2 about Michael Boguski. I don’t know if he’s filling in for awhile or
if he will be Bob Packwood’s permanent replacement. On the 2 LA shows, he
certainly played Bob’s parts, whether on piano or organ. I will say when he
streched out on his own solos, I really enjoyed his sense of syncopation. If the
Packwood comparison wasn’t looming I might have suggested Steve Nieve.
Michael has several jazz combo CDs and is apparently quite established in Toronto. www.michaelboguski.com )

The set list that follows reflects an unsurprising group of songs, considering their latest release, the Blue Road CD/DVD package is an acoustic evening. I have to admit, I didn’t own it until that evening, so I was pleasantly surprised by quite a few of the choices.

1. Now & Forever (Diamond Mine)
2. Cynthia (5 Days In July)
3. Bad Timing (5 Days In July)
4. Blue House (Small Miracles)
5. Disappear (Tremelo)
6. Rebel (Outskirts)
7. Trust Yourself (Casino)
8. Crying Over You (Jim Inveldt)
9. 3 Hours Away (shuffle) (Small Miracles)
10. 5 AM (A Love Song) (Casino)
11. 5 Days In May (5 Days In July)
12. Try (Outskirts)
13. Is It You (Lost Together)
14. Rage (The Days In Between)
15. Photograph (5 Days In July)
16. To Love Somebody (Gibb)
17. Head Over Heels (5 Days In July)

encores
18. ‘Til I Am Myself Again (Casino)
19. It Hasn’t Hit Me Yet (5 Days In July)

“Hasn’t Hit Me Yet” was a slight let down. After the raucous sing-a-long the night before, the crowd at McCabe’s felt a little self conscious. Which was too bad, since we really could’ve raised that roof a few inches. I had hoped maybe they would do “Where I Was Before” instead of “3 Hours Away” in this acoustic setting. Some folks always gotta complain. I did think it was cute they did all the “number” songs together !

My non-scientific guess from talking to folks before and after suggested 80% of attendees were previous big fans. The other 20% left the show completely converted. The waves of reaction that rippled through the crowd at each incredible turn of the phase or when the band “hit (their) stride” instrumentally was a joy to behold.

Last but not least, my favorite band aside of the night…
Cuddy to Michael B. – “I pick on you ’cause I love you…”
Keelor – “Is that what it is? You must really love me.”

Thanks “oldmanflint” – good, good stuff!

On a side note, I have to say that lately I’ve been really digging “Losing You,” the new studio track included on Blue Road. Give it a listen via the video below…

Relevant Links:

Purchase Blue Road, an absolute MUST have for Blue Rodeo fans.

Blue Rodeo official site

McCabe’s Guitar Shop