DAVID USHER IN CONCERT 2008 | David, Usher, Time, Songs, Concert

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DAVID USHER IN CONCERT 2008

Written by Alex Hutt

Artist: David Usher

Date: November 7, 2008

Venue: Commodore Ballroom

Opening Acts: Carly Rae Jepsen, Crash Parallel

Reviewed By: Alex Hutt (Vancouver Correspondent)

About this time last year I was thoroughly enjoying a night of live music with David Usher at The Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. It was my first time at the Commodore as well as my first time seeing David Usher live. I knew it wouldn’t be my last time to see such a raw talent.

And thus arrives November 7^th, 2008, and once again I was at a David Usher concert. The performance was the last installment in a long thirty city trip across Canada for David Usher and his bandmates, but it certainly didn’t show in the energy from the musicians.

The opening acts came in the form of Carly Rae Jepsen and Crash Parallel. Jepsen, who is a former American Idol contestant, was the only weak link in the show, as her sweet, melodic songs were more suited to a coffee shop setting rather than a Friday night concert hall. That is not to say that Jepsen is an unremarkable vocalist, she could certainly carry her tunes. Nevertheless, Jepsen seemed out of place, and this was evident in the energy of the crowd during her set. The second opening act, Crash Parallel, certainly had the energy, but not necessarily the vocals. I bought their CD after the concert, and after listening to it, it seems that the band is better suited to a live venue. However, at the show, their enthusiasm and eclectic music made me overlook Tim Edwards lead vocals, which were at times less than stellar. The best moments in the show were when he was joined in vocals by the keyboardist Rob Bezanson, and the chorus’ of “World We Know” and “Dying Inside You” really shone.

David Usher took to the stage at 10:45, but more than compromised for the late start by playing a two-hour long set. Since the concert was largely inexpensive in comparison to many other acts, it is safe to say that David’s performance was well worth the money. Two encores later, the band eventually left the stage at around 12:30, which on one hand was certainly “bang for your buck”, but on the other hand created several problems for transit users like myself. But despite the over long run time, the set was flawless. David Usher drew off the boisterous crowd, often stopping in the middle of songs to comment, on subjects such as Barrack Obama. “We can hope for at least one day,” he noted.

Seldom are there artists that sound like their albums when they are playing live and David Usher is one of them. He spiced the show with old tunes and new, even crowing back to his roots with two songs from his frontman days with Moist in Vancouver (the songs were “Breathe” and “Push”). Having spent his university years in the city and eventually obtaining a degree in Political Science at Simon Fraser University, David noted more than once how much he loved the city of Vancouver. The remainder of the songs included “Forest Fires” from his first solo release Little Songs to hits from his latest release Wake Up And Say Goodbye. The biggest roar came from the crowd when the band brought out “Black Black Heart”, and David Usher and Kevin Young (the keyboardist) sang the Carmen excerpts in unison. The concert could only be described as exceptional, and in the end, I would certainly like to see David Usher in concert a third and fourth time.