Kathleen Edwards Live Show Review
Friday Nov. 11, 2005
The Underground, Hamilton Ontario
Joel Plaskett opening
Puppy Love in Hamilton
by Jason Johnston
The question that remains is this: Has Kathleen Edwards claimed Hamilton more than Hamilton has claimed her? As an outsider from Mississauga, I felt at times I was playing chaperone for two love sick teenagers swooning over each another:
Kathleen: "I love you."
Crowd: "No, I love you."
Kathleen: "I love you more."
Crowd: "No, I love YOU more."
Kathleen: "I f**king love YOU, Hamilton!"
Ahh...the pure and honest sentiments of puppy love. Regardless, the hometown welcome was endering from the opening track. The hour and a half set mostly meandered through her new album, "Back to Me", with occasional dips into her earlier full length CD "Failer."
Without a doubt, Kathleen possesses that rare skill of rocking the house then bringing it down. Like when Kathleen sang “Mercury,” almost sighing with the words, “Wanna go get high?” combined with husband/guitarist Colin Cripps and his plaintive harmonies backing her in the chorus. It coaxes the listener to sway with their loved one and hold back a tear or two. Then, turning on a dime, Kathleen and band jams out with “Six O’Clock News” causing the fifty-five year old man in front of me to pump his finger wildly in the air with excitement. Certainly Kathleen's appeal will only grow in the months to come. As the local sports announcer said before the show began, “There will be a time very soon where you will not be able to get this close to Kathleen Edwards.” I believe it.
Certainly, the synergy of the band was obvious. Joel Anderson on drums, Kevin McCarragher playing bass, hubby Colin Cripps electric guitars and with Ottawa singer-songwriter Jim Bryson sitting in on guest guitar. Though they seldom strayed from the CD arrangements (not even to allow Kathleen an extra bar to switch guitars mid-song) they were tight and energetic.
Kathleen closed with the in-your-face confidence of "Back to Me" which was an obvious crowd favourite. She returned for an encore beckoned by clear applause. Introducing the simple acoustic song, she explained that she had writers block for a year and almost immediately moving to Hamilton this year she wrote this song. More clapping welcomed the theme which was about a girl being abducted. Not exactly a Hamilton Tiger Cats fight song, but its somber tone found connection to a near silent pool of listeners.
About 12:30 the show was winding down. Kathleen announced her voice was shot so she would only do loud songs to close off the night. I looked around to find many of the people who were talking through the first of half of the performance had now left. The crowd was now about 2/3 the size, lacking watchers around the edges of the floor at Hamilton’s “Underground.” I've heard it said that some people don't want anything to do with love, but are in love the idea of “being in love.” I wondered this about the Hamilton crowd, did they truly love Kathleen Edwards, or did they love the idea that she was now their own? In a world of rock and roll disconnect, perhaps this more love than we can expect, and maybe as much as both Hamilton and Kathleen Edwards need.
