Broken Social Scene with Tegan and Sara

Posted by admin on Feb 17, 2009 in Arts & Culture | 0 comments

The Vancouver Olympic Committee hit the mark as they kicked off the 2009 Cultural Olympiad with an outstanding, high-energy performance by Broken Social Scene and opening act Tegan and Sara at the Orpheum on Feb. 6.

To begin the evening, the talented sister duo of Tegan and Sara performed well. They didn’t quite find the knack for this large venue, as their set was pasted together alongside a few hiccups in the lyric department. The predominantly female fans in the audience kept the train moving, though, and the band fed off the crowd’s energy to make for an enjoyable start to the concert.

Nevertheless, it was only the veggies and dip to the steak dinner that was about to take the Orpheum stage.

No one knew what to expect as the roadies set up the stage for Broken Social Scene: a nine-piece band (at least, nine on this night) that can’t be placed in any one genre on any one night. This is what makes BSS who they are. One song may entertain a beautiful and soulful melody by the horn section, while two minutes later the drums come alive and host a driving rock ballad.

The BSS set started delicately with “Chameleon” from Brendan Canning’s recent album, but was put in gear with such favourites as “7/4 (Shoreline)” and “Fire Eye’d Boy.” The effortless musicianship and elegant stage presence brought the audience to their feet and filled them with Canadian pride over one of our greatest musical exports.

The best part of the night was the lead taken by the angelic singing of Lisa Lobsinger on the tear-jerking build of “Anthem’s of a Seventeen Year Old Girl.” Not only to mention the emergence of another Canadian icon, K-OS, who appeared on stage briefly to play percussion and provide back-up vocals.

When insanity, beauty, raw emotion and uncontested talent all come together, the result is a concert by Broken Social Scene.