A Place Built To Carry Voices

As I drove home, there was a warm orange aura that seemed to be hugging Calgary. In actuality, it's the combination of the light snow dust falling all across Calgary and the thousands of twinkling house lights that turn our sky a soothing shade of orange. Metaphorically, I think the city is being hugged by this warm aura because of the massive amount of love radiating out of Knox United Church.

The pews of the United church creaked and cracked while mitten, toque and winter jacket clad Calgarians filed their way into their seats. For some, this would be their first time experiencing a live show from the wooden seats of the holy establishment. However, for me, I was lucky enough to know just what the old vaulted ceilings had in store for me.

A three-piece band named The Crackling began the flood of amazing music. The band actually consists of 3 of the 4 members of Mangan's backing band. His drummer took the position of lead guitarist and sang songs about sorrow, love and staying drunk with a beautifully full and clear voice. Dan Mangan joined them onstage only to sit behind the drum kit and show us how many years in the music industry can make you very ambidextrous in terms of instruments. Anyway, by the end of their set, they had the entire venue singing to him {a very common occurrence this night}.

Walking onstage after a brief intermission was another 3-piece band that goes by the name of The Burning Hell- I'm quite sure that by this point, everyone in the church was aware of the fantastic irony. They filled the half hour with ukulele, glockenspiel and cello filled songs about the tragic (fictional) death of a friend in the Yukon, dinosaurs and love and loss. Needless to say, The Burning Hell had me smiling from ear to ear and laughing all night with their incredibly witty, dry-humor-esque, pun-filled lyrics. {I'm convinced Mangan's pure love for the art of puns was a huge deciding factor as to why they were added to the bill}. The lead singer, Mathias Kom, was pure charm in a hilarious self-deprecating type of way, that was endearing instead of annoying. I strongly suggest you listen to their music.

Having already been filled with so much fantastic music already, I was shaking with anticipation to hear Dan play. If you want to read about how I first fell in love with this man {and his music}, you can read this.

There was so much about his performance that had my mind reeling at how I was going to write it down and tell you lovely people about it.

He opened with an energetic, fast, hard-hitting version of Sold. Which was followed by an introduction to a new song called Post-War Depression, a heart pulsing song about the causes and repercussions of war. I was surprised to hear a new edge in Dan's voice and music. Throughout the night he played favorites like the humble love song You Silly Git, a robust version of Road Regrets, the ode to his hometown Vancouver Tina's Glorious Comeback and the beautifully simplistic The Indie Queens Are Waiting - which was dedicated to local Calgarian and avid arts supporter Trevor Smith. The show wouldn't feel complete without the band leaving the stage for a short time to allow Dan to sing Basket. There is a sorrowful sincerity that Dan evokes when he sings this live. The recorded version of the song doesn't quite evoke the same personal story telling as it does when it's solely Dan and his guitar.

As he crooned the crowed with his delicately rough voice, I couldn't help but notice a new maturity to the way he was performing these songs. I'm not saying that in his previous 26 years that his music has been immature, just that there was no longer a younger urgency to the music. It felt like the songs had grown and matured into their own and become these full bodied four minute masterpieces.

Through the musical ups and downs of the songs off of Nice, Nice, Very Nice; Dan and the band performed new songs to our ears like Leaves, Trees, Forests, Rose of Houses and the aforementioned Post-War Depression. It was impossible for any of the concert goers to not notice how the walls of Knox United Church vibrated with Dan's vocals. In Dan's own words:

"You would almost think that this place was made to carry voices..."

The night ended with Mangan performing his most popular song "Robots". Never the shy musician, at one point walking out into the crown and standing on top of the wooden pews. As usual, the entire venue became Mangan's own personal backup choir singing along to the chorus.

A loud, persistent standing ovation enticed Mangan and the band to return to the stage and play a couple more songs for us. Now, ever since seeing him the first time at The Gateway, and having him venture out into the middle of the crowd to sing a completely acoustic version of "So Much For Everyone" I was hopeful that we might be lucky enough to have it happen again. It was just my luck, that with a venue that was built to carry hundreds of voices, my wish came true.

Dan first asked the sound technician to cut all the PAs and the monitors and then invited anyone in the crowd to walk up to the stage and to support him with the Ooouus of the chorus of So Much For Everyone. To hear 800 people singing in magical harmony to this song is nothing short of other-worldly. There is an undeniable connection that happens when people from all different walks of life, meet together over a 4 minute song and share an experience together.

Peas & Luhv,

Brie