Joel Plaskett Emergency @ The Grad Club
Joel Plaskett was back at the Grad Club singing his redemption song to those who didn’t get the full effect of his Emergency’s show back in November. Despite being ill at last fall’s gig, Joel still rocked the house. Once again, Plaskett delivered his usual country-tinged rock ‘n’ roll to a sold-out crowd that packed the Grad Club.
It’s a good thing Joel is a very tall fellow because it made him conveniently visible from anywhere in the room—thanks for the consideration, Joel. It’s almost as though he was born to be an indie-rocker; endowed with the gift to be seen and heard from any part of the small venue. Being on a big stage would simply be superfluous to Joel’s stature.
Despite his conspicuousness, people came from far and wide just to see the Emergency. Some of the people I talked to were coming in from Toronto, New York and Montreal. The audience responded enthusiastically to every one of the band’s tunes—some with excited recognition and others to the sheer ‘rockability’ of each song. A lot of Plaskett’s songs are so comfortably familiar, which comes from his strong devotion to the teachings of the classic rock gods. Such influences became evident during a medley of classic numbers, including songs by the Steve Miller band, Gordon Lighfoot’s “Sundown” and tying it all together with some Grateful Dead.
I must not forget to mention the more comical selections he threw into the mix, including a meek version of Outkast’s “Hey Ya” and a very un-R&B rendering of the R. Kelly song “Ignition.” After making sure everyone was standing, Plaskett performed a rousing rendition of “O Canada,” predictably followed by his tune “True Patriot Love”—which also not-so-coincidently commences with an “O.” This was followed by “Extraordinary,” a killer number further displaying the band’s love for that classic rock and roll sound—featuring some extraordinary behind-the-head guitar playing. The crowd was really lovin’ Plaskett, and it was easy to see why. Not only were the dames swooning over Plaskett’s indie good looks, but there was more to the man than just his face.
Throughout the show he was humouring the audience’s requests, with responses like, “oh yeah, that’s a good one, we’ll get to that for sure” and during the encore when someone called for “Violent Dreams,” a tune from Plaskett’s previous band, Thrush Hermit, he playfully responded “That’d be a little hard on acoustic eh?!” But he then gave it a valiant attempt anyway. That’s what’s great about Plaskett, he wants to give something to the fans who have been with him since his earlier days. This night was a particular treat to Thrush Hermit fans, because Plaskett was backed by fellow Hermit, Ian McGettigan, instead of his usual Emergency bassist, Tim Brennan.
Finally, to stomp-out the night, Plaskett pealed out “Come on, Teacher,” followed by the Thrush Hermit classic, “From the Back of the Film.” These two songs that everyone was waiting for invigorated the crowd with one last burst of energy they had all been reserving just for these songs. It brought a satisfying close to a phenomenal show.
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