Feist at Wexner - Nov07

*Photo by Kim Rottmayer, picturethesound.com

Feist came through town on November 18th for a stop at the Wexner Center, bringing with her a bunch of fellow Canadiens, a badly sprained ankle, and tons of notoriety as "that girl from the new nano ad". As it turned out, the very subdued-arts center crowd was perfect company for a set-list with emphasis on the mellow and a "healing" front-woman. Chit-chatting with the audience, directing sing alongs, helping someone propose to his girlfriend, showing up on drums for a few songs during Jason Collett's opening set(the girls in front of us felt pretty stupid for talking through his set after he thanked her for sitting in) - all contributed to the creation of a loose and friendly vibe. Feist's skills as an artist, singer, guitarist, and all around entertainer are abundantly clear. Seeing her perform live is a very enjoyable experience. Jules and I don't make it out together that often at this stage of life - so this made the payoff all the more satisfying. The night brought back fond memories of western Ontario and my time at the Wex. As I pondered all that is the Canadian musical renaissance these days, I couldn't help thinking back to the MuchMusic playlists of the late 80's. Back then it seemed that nothing of any kind of quality came from north of the border (save Neil Young - but he doesn't count cause he lives in Northern Cali). It was comical to watch - like a Christian music video channel - all imitation no innovation. It's not Triumph, Rush, and Tragically Hip anymore. Nowadays it's like auto-cred to be a cannuck. I've always loved the fishing, the beer, the provincial parks, the northern lights, and Kids in the Hall. Well that nation's indie-rock has remained safely on my "list of things I like about Canada" for most of this decade now. Feist is at the top of that list.