Arias & Symphonies 30th Anniversary Concert

 

 

 

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The moment I arrived I knew it was gonna be crazy. I quickly took my place at the front before the place filled, still a spot or two remaining on the right side for me to squeeze in; the front was definitely a no go, already packed. I hate jostling for a good vantage point, I always arrive early so I don't have to. This time I arrived late, had to pick up a few friends before heading downtown.  Friday Night at the Revival was the best shows Ive seen in a very long time. This month marks the 30th anniversary release of one of the greatest Canadian albums of all time. Arias & Symphonies garnered both critical and commercial success following it's release in 2002, as perfect as an album can get, it yielded three top 40 singles and rocketed the band to the forefront of the Canadian New Wave scene. Friday's concert also marked the first time in more that 25 years the original heyday line has performed together. Along with Sandy Horne and Gordon Deppe, keyboardist Rob Preuss and Drummer Derek Ross also performed to the delight of the sold out crowd. Its was like 1984 all over again. As an extra bonus the concert featured the long awaited reunion of Images In Vogue who opened the night with an 8 song setting which included  “Lust For Love”, “In The House”, “Save It” and “Call It Love” among others. Its was no surprise that they sounded as great as they ever have. Dale Martindale's voice is, as it has always been, absolutely spectacular, hopefully this is the start of greater things to come, one can only hope. As for the Spoons what can I say that hasn't already been said. It's no big secret that this is one of my favorite bands, always amazing to see this much talent perform live, and this was perhaps the best show yet. New members Casey MQ (keyboards) and Chris McNeil (Drums) also  did a fantastic job, graciously relinquishing their duties during part of the set to allow Rob and Derek to shine. One thing is certain, they need to start playing larger gigs; the Revival, as great as it is, simply isn't big enough anymore. This concert sold out a week in advance and I know alot of disappointed fans that waited too long and were left without tickets... snooze ya loose I guess.