Supplied: Wikipedia User Jason WoodheadThough most of the lineup was well past their glory days, 17 bands blazed through Commonwealth for the Fire Aid benefit concert.
Hosted to aid in the reconstruction of Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo, the event raised over $2 million to get the city back on its feet. With 30,000 plus in attendance, everyone from Ian Tyson to Dear Rouge brought the house down.
Though ads said Fire Aid was “praying for rain,” they probably didn’t anticipate the downpour that drenched the stadium only a few hours before kickoff. Once the doors opened, however, the heavens closed and the sun came out.
With bands trading fast, snappy sets between two stages, time between acts was almost nil. Brett Kissel, Tyson, and High Valley ripped through their hits before Randy Bachman and the Sadies took the stage.
Pounding out favourites like “American Woman” (though Bachman didn’t sing) and “Let it Ride,” Bachman capped the 25-minute shot of folk rock with a Kissel-assisted rendition of “Takin’ Care of Business.”
Alberta-born country star Corb Lund was next, and sauntered on to the stage clad in a cowboy hat and Oilers jersey. A rousing cover of Stompin’ Tom Connors’ “Good Old Hockey Game” was the highlight of his performance.
Following the classic rock and country heroes came the home-grown indie of City and Colour. Playing a solo acoustic set, Dallas Green promised to “bring the vibe down for a few songs.” With some help from an acoustic guitar and a harmonica, he did just that. With great sound and his trademark angelic vocals, Green serenaded the crowd with a plethora of hits, capped with “Fragile Bird” and “Lover Come Back.”
Blue Rodeo was next, and Jim Cuddy and company sound just as pristine in their fourth decade together as (I imagine) they did in the first. Greg Keelor led an extended, solo-laced version of “Diamond Mine,” and Cuddy’s falsetto on “Try” was absolutely immaculate. Blue Rodeo still has it, and has it in spades.
To cap the night, Nickelback ended a year-long live performance drought with a dig through their vault. Opening with “Something in Your Mouth,” the once-boys, now-middle-aged men from Hanna had the cellphones in the air for “Far Away” and the crowd singing along to “Rockstar.”
This was followed by a Tragically Hip cover, and more from their heyday. At the end of it all, Chad Kroeger, his ludicrously white teeth, and the rest of Nickelback still play a damn good show. There, I said it.
Fire Aid did what it set out to do. With 30,000 voices raised in a stadium-shaking version of “O Canada,” the organizers of the event succeeded in getting people out in support of a great cause. Nothing, not even Nickelback, can ruin that.
