A toronto show! We haven't been to Toronto since the convention and hey, since it's so close (funny how after all these trips, 3 hours is actually a short distance) we of course had to go. Our crew consisted of myself, Moe, alt Jen, and Jo. We left Roch around 6 and Moe successfully got us to toronto before 9 without any tickets (whew !). We drove up and down the waterfront and found the Harbourfront Centre after a couple u-turns and careful manuervering around those trolleys. There was great parking available and the place was great...we admired the view of the water and immediately saw Heatherr...we barely had time to say hello when we heard the welcome sound of the Sahara intro...We quickely found seats and settled in.
Jockey was next and then came BJ...the crowd was really getting into the music and as we looked around we saw a whole crew of fruheads, which included...Rosemary and her kids, Maureen, Ingrid and Katherine,Christine,Michelle and her family,Mike Wood,Hugo,Kris and his mom, and probably more that I forgot. Horseshoes was next and I feel that this was the best version I have heard to date...the guitar solo was a little different and sounded great. At this point Jian commented on how nice it is to play in their hometown and thanked "the home team" for their support...Dave also made a point to thank all of us who came from out of town such as Buffalo and Rochester...then Mike also thanked us "freaks" and we laughed at how much that "compliment" was greatly appreciated. Then it was time for some new songs...we heard Sad Girl and Pisco Bandito. Both these songs were very well received and a real treat. Moon was next and it is always fun to watch Jian and Mike really get into their parts. It's almost like 2 songs in one. The Kid's song was next, followed by Boo Time which we havent heard in a while so that was fun. Next came some more great banter which included some discussion of the mirrors above the stage which reminded Jian of Boogie Nights. Then Dave just so happened to interrupt Jian and this led into a sort of group therapy session among the four over how (according to Murray) Dave had "upset the process" and how they all felt about that. Then with all good intentions Mike started to talk about how Moxy got their name as the rest of the gang was lining up for what appeared to be a different song...the other 3 just went along and Jian said nicely that Mike could talk about Marion after they played another new song...Mike glanced down at his set list and agreed to wait. I Will Hold On was next and is really a deep song with some great lyrics...I've heard this only a couple of times now and pick up some different lines each time that really stand out such as "I will hold the hope that we won't part"...all these new tunes are a great advertisement for what's yet to come in the future. Next came Marion which has been my favorite since I first heard it at the Danforth last year...it's just a coincidence that our blue box goes to the curb on wednesday's also. Marion really "topped" herself this time by wearing someone's shorts for a hat. I'm sure there's a story behind that because we never really saw who donated them for the sake of the song. Michigan sounded great and Johnny Saucep'n was fun as always...I cant help but laugh during this song remembering how much fun Moe and I had learning these lyrics. Message followed and Dave's part is always great to hear in the middle of the song...The King finally made his appearance and included a great William Shatner impression from Jian. Green Eggs and Ham followed and included a short karate match between Dave and Mike. There was so much energy after all these songs and the crowd was still cheering for more. Authors came next and included a "spice girls" ending per Murray at the "yeaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" part. Get in the Car got a lot of people on their feet and led into Love Potion.
Psycho Killer was the first encore and is always so good that I'm almost afraid to hear the original T-Heads version for fear it wont compare!...Drinking Song ended with the whole crowd singing and swaying.
We hung out afterwards and chased Toby around trying to get that much needed stamp. We said hellos to Jude and Jo and alt Jen found Marcus and chatted with him. We mingled and chatted with everyone and finally made it out by 12:30. This was really an excellent show and well worth the trip. While the show had not been advertised well, there still was a great turnout and Toronto shows are always a blast.
Next stop...Niagra Falls in-store appearance tonite!
From Fiona:
I love Harbourfront. I love Fruvous. I love Fruheads. Last night was pretty much destined to be a good show. It ended up being the best Fruvous show I've attended so far.
Actually getting to the show was pretty uneventful. Not much to be said about grabbing dinner, jumping on the TTC and arriving at Harbourfront. Once at Molson's Place I gathered my courage and headed down front, where I found Rosemary, Hugo and Doug and was introduced to Ingrid, Catherine, and Andrea. We chatted for a bit, I got to hear the story of how Andrea had wound up in Toronto. (Andrea only recently finished a 20-hour bus ride back home. Hopefully she'll eventually find the energy to write a review later)
Oh Susannah was okay. Nice voice, good songs, but I was tired and as somebody (Hugo?) put it, it was "Music to fall asleep by". Nothing very energetic. ChrissyK, Michelle, Kris, Kimberly, Mike (who apparently lives about 7 blocks north of me! Fruhead in the neighbourhood!! Hi Mike) and others whose names I forget (sorry!) arrived during the set. Largest Fruhead gathering I've seen other than the Frucon. I was amazed and extremely impressed. REALLY looking forward to the Frumiles weekend now.
Eventually, (and practically on time too *gasp*) the "hero music" started up, Jian and Murray came onstage, Jian sat down with the dumbek (sp?) and they began what turned into a very extended Sahara. I was blown away. (I hadn't read a review in quite awhile, so I didn't know what new stuff to expect) I think it was Mike who had the videocamera (it was one of the males anyway) and I would really love a copy of the show. Even just an audio copy.
Dancing started pretty much immediately. This was my first (many firsts this time) time actually up at the front of the stage and I had a blast. The set was pretty much fast and furious. Andrea claimed that they did Johnny Saucep'n even faster than the dobule-time they did We joked that the guys were trying to drum up publicity by having someone faint at the show. Someone else has a setlist, ask them I'm horrible at remembering. I do know that I loved the new songs. I was a bit distracted by an annoying audience member during I Will Hold You, but she eventually went away.
A lot of fun was had at the expense of Mel Lastman, the "OmniMayor". It was either a way of getting all the Mel jokes out of their system before they play Mel Lastman Square August 7th or a warmup for that show. If it's the latter.. I almost feel sorry for the mayor. *g* I especially loved one bit where, after mistaking an Argos pennant Hugo was waving for a Thornhill flag, Jian started to talk about how great it would be if all the different communities in Toronto had their own flag and maybe even their own local government..
There were, of course, a few technical difficulties. I was reading a past review where someone mentioned the counseling session-type improv that popped up during KOS. It occurred earlier (I think) last night when Dave interrupted Jian by indicating he needed something-or-other fixed. Truly hilarious. I thought they were going to go into the WLUV intro for a second or two, Murray was kind of using his "Troy" voice. Btw.. does Dave usually use someone's shorts as hair for Marion Fruvous? I hope someone got a picture of that.
By the end of it all I was a bit dizzy from lack of oxygen and couldn't have been happier. Hung around afterwards, got my first Frumiles stamp, "helped" Chrissy deliver her presents and other messages for Jian and Murray and played silent girl. This was the 2nd time I hung around after a show and I still haven't actually introduced myself. Despite that I did get a hug from Murray when Andrea and I left for the bus station...really Murray, hugging strange women! It's positively dangerous! *g*
Anyway, I know this isn't exactly the best of reviews but I had an awesome
time, I desperately want a copy of the show (Mike, I know where you live!
I'll hunt you down if I have to), I loved meeting everyone and seeing
everyone else again. I've heard that I may have a Fruvirgin friend with me
at Mel Lastman, so the Frumiles weekend is going to get extremely
interesting! Looking forward to it.
Some other tidbits from the performance include:
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