"Yes, there are some unresolved issues of stage, as Burrows as mentioned, but there are signs that this band is starting at least to fill the cracks."

Concert Review

The Tea Party with The Reason

Artist: The Tea Party

Opening Band: The Reason

Venue: Commodore Ballroom

Dates: November 15th and 16th

Reviewed By Alex Hutt

Until this week, it had always been a disappointment of mine that I never got to see one of my favorite bands in concert before they disbanded, like the Tea Party did in 2005. Seeing lead singer Jeff Martin play in Jeff Martin 777 when they stopped in Vancouver was exciting, but it didn’t feel quite as right. So naturally, when the reunion was announced, the fanboy in me exploded. Tuesday and Wednesday’s concerts more than lived up to the hype, and showcased just how talented this Canadian rock band still is.

The Reason

The opener for both shows was Edmonton’s The Reason, who did a decent job of pumping the crowd up for The Tea Party, even though Adam White’s vocals seemed strained at times. A couple of highlights were the fact that White was so close to the mic that he caught his nostrils on it, and when they broke into verses of Eurythmics' “Here Comes The Rain Again” mid-song during “Cry Like The Rain”. The inclusion of this classic made the fans more receptive to The Reason, and honestly brought a smile to the face. Guitarist and keyboardist James Nelan was also hilarious as he climbed on top of his keyboard a few times during both performances. The best song on day two was “Where Do We Go From Here?” from their newest album Fools and the crowd pleaser on the first was the aforementioned “Cry Like The Rain.”

The Tea Party

One of the most impressive things about the two concerts was the fact that Jeff Martin (guitars, vocals), Jeff Burrows (drums) and Stuart Chatwood (percussion, keyboard, bass) played two hour sets each night. Checking the watch at 12:30 and noticing that The Tea Party hadn’t even got to their encore yet was refreshing and showed that the band actually cares about making the show entertaining and memorable. Over the two shows, they played at least one song from every one of their albums (excluding the Capitol Demos), which stretch back to 1990. One of upsides of this is that each album is a completely different style of rock, so variety and change are the norm with a Tea Party set list. The band also takes the extra step of adding and changing the way they perform the song live, so that it never sounds completely the same as it did on the album, whether that be a new guitar solo, or the inclusion of a different instrument.

Day 1 – November 15th 

All of these elements were in both shows, which opened with “The Writing’s On The Wall” from  Seven Circles (2004), the last record before the band split. In a previous interview I did with Martin, he mentioned that this was his least liked of the albums, and consequently this was the only song off of it they did live. Immediately, it was apparent just how much fun the trio was having on the stage; “I’ve got a secret, but you can’t tell anybody.” Martin quipped. “We’re back.”

Next up on the first night was “Bazaar,” one of a few from The Edges of Twilight (1995), which seemed to be the favourite album to pick from. Case in point, “Walk With Me” followed this, and Martin threw a twist in, adding a theremin solo. A theremin is an early electronic instrument that is played without any physical contact, rather the player uses their hands to manipulate frequencies. One of Martin’s large influences, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, was known for using the instrument as well.

“Psychopomp” brought a huge cry out of the crowd, as did “Fire In The Head,” the latter having an intense guitar solo from Martin. Martin has been known for his adeptness with guitars, and his solos could probably rival that of Carlos Santana. Many solos were peppered throughout the show, and noticeably he had a different guitar with every song. It’s hard to imagine how hard a job that would be for the poor roadie who has to tune them all!

Not all the solos went to Martin though, as Chatwood had a short one during “Sun Going Down,” one of the better blues songs that The Tea Party have in their arsenal. Martin and Chatwood both took out acoustic guitars and sat for the duration of the song, making the show a little more personal.

The intensity was cranked up to a maximum when Martin played a bowed guitar solo for the intro to “Save Me,” which sounded like something rising out of hell. It was appropriate that he jokingly prefaced it with the disclaimer “don’t be scared, I don’t mean to hurt you.” It was exhilarating to say the least. Add in the fact that “Save Me” was punctuated by excerpts of Jeff Buckley’s “Last Goodbye” and this was one of the best songs of the evening.

They closed the show with a mash up of “Winter Solstice” “Sister Awake” and the Stones’ “Paint It Black”; mash-ups are another staple of a Tea Party concert, another factor that makes it better than just seeing a band play their record on stage. Their version of “Paint It Black” is actually preferable to the Stones, due in part to fact that Martin has a better voice than Jagger.

Day 2 – November 16^th

It’s hard to make a completely different set list for two nights in a row, but there were still a few major and notable differences on the Wednesday night. In place of “Walk With Me” was “Lullaby,” from 2001’s The Interzone Mantras. Thisis where Martin placed this time for the theremin solo, and it fit just as well as it did the night before. It is a bit of an odd image to see someone wave their hands in front of an antenna, and make it sound like an electric guitar, but entertaining nonetheless!

The cover of Daniel Lanois’ “The Messenger” had a longer guitar solo this time, and “Sun Going Down” contained a short bit of “Turn The Lamp Down Low.” Yet even these small changes innovated the show and the song itself. For instance, the verse of “Turn The Lamp Down Low” was slowed down and accompanied by an acoustic guitar, when the album track is a hard-edged blues rocker. Another example is the medley containing “The Halcyon Days,” which was preceded by an verse sung in Nubian and English, “Zahira” by Baaba Maal and a cover of Dead Can Dance’s “Rakim.” The medley was seemless, and Martin pumped his vocals up to level 10 for this one. True, Martin has done this before, but it still feels new when you hear it live.

It was evident how much fun Chatwood, Burrows and Martin were having on stage, as Burrows mischieviously copied Martin’s guitar playing at the beginning of the encore, and the camaderie the guys had. Yes, there are some unresolved issues of stage, as Burrows as mentioned, but there are signs that this band is starting at least to fill the cracks. Martin did say during the Wednesday show that new material was in the works, so hopefully we’ll see some new Tea Party material in the next year! Until then, go check them out live as they tour across Canada. It’s worth the ticket price, as they have cemented their place as one of the best rock bands of all time.  

Setlist

November 15th

• The Writing’s On The Wall
• Bazaar
• Walk With Me
• Psychopomp
• Correspondences
• The Messenger
• Fire In The Head
• Heaven Coming Down
• Walking Wounded
• Sun’s Coming Down
• Halcyon Days
• Requiem
• Save Me/Last Goodbye
• Release
• Temptation

 Encore:

• Winter Solstice
• Sister Awake/Paint In Black

November 16th 

• The Writing’s On The Wall
• Bazaar
• Lullaby
• Psychopomp
• Correspondences
• The Messenger
• Fire In The Head
• Heaven Coming Down
• Walking Wounded
• Turn The Lamp Down Low/ Sun’s Coming Down
• Zahira/Rakim/Halcyon Days
• Save Me/Last Goodbye
• Release
• Temptation

Encore:

• Winter Solstice
• Sister Awake/Paint In Black

Thanks to Live Nation!

Written by :

alessandro