It was a picture-perfect Friday night in Toronto, where the acclaimed folk-rock solo project of Dallas Green’s City and Colour performed at Budweiser Stage. It marked a significant night as it was Dallas Green’s second sold-out show at Budweiser Stage this summer – the first being his band Alexisonfire back in June. The audience was ready to be embraced and moved by the impeccable music of Dallas and his band.
Katie Tupper was the opener for the show. The early crowd witnessed the Saskatoon singer’s brand of indie and soul music. Her accompanying band were grooving throughout the set as Katie bountifully eased through her vocals with emotion.
As the background music stopped and the lights dimmed dark, the audience immediately let out a scream of excitement for the arrival of City and Colour. As their intro audio began, Dallas and the rest of his band walked out to a jam-packed audience that was excited to hear the band perform an unforgettable night of music. Starting the show with “Meant to Be,” the first single off of City and Colour’s latest album, The Love Still Held Me Near. The album featured themes of grief and loss, with Dallas and his band moving forward in life after the passing of their longtime producer and friend, Karl Bareham. For the next hour and a half, City and Colour sang through a 20-song setlist that was mixed with new tunes and the classics that got the audience first loving City and Colour. Dallas’s soulful vocals were at his absolute best; he sounded like he could sing for as long as he liked. His band followed suit as they jammed out their respective instruments with passion.
The audience stood up in elation when the band started playing “We Found Each Other in the Dark,” the first track from Dallas’s third studio album, Little Hell. The band picked up the pace a few minutes later with the more upbeat track from The Love Still Held Me Near, “Underground,” the second single from their album. A few minutes after, Dallas introduced singer-songwriter Ben Harper to the stage, which caused a loud applause and a standing ovation. Dallas told the story of how he first approached Ben for the first time and asked how he knew his songs. One of the songs Ben found out about City and Colour was “The Grand Optimist,” which is what the band played next. Dallas effortlessly sang through the song’s introspective lyrics while Ben Harper showcased his playmaking on his slide guitar to the audience’s delight.
Dallas played one of his classics, “Hello, I’m in Delaware” where he dedicated the song to the fans and everyone who got him to keep making music throughout his career before playing “Bow Down to Love.” He and the band exited the stage thereafter as a long applause from the audience pleaded for an encore. The tech crew made last-minute changes before Dallas and his bandmate Matt Kelly returned onstage. The two played the fan favourites: “The Girl,” and “Comin’ Home” with the chorus of Alexisonfire’s “This Could be Anywhere in the World” in the outro. He dedicated the song to his bandmates from Alexisonfire, which brought a loud cheer from the crowd. The other bandmates returned to the stage as they saved the best for last to play “Lover Come Back” and “Sleeping Sickness.” The crowd sang their hearts out as the night came to a close. It was another unforgettable night with Dallas and his band showcasing the very best of City and Colour, where it showed there was no sign of stopping for Dallas to keep performing many more shows to remember.
Lineup:
Dallas Green – Vocalist, guitar
Matt Kelly – Guitar, pedal steel, backing vocals
Erik Nielsen – Bass
John Sponarski – Guitar, backing vocals
Leon Power – Drummer
Setlist:
1. Meant to Be
2. Northern Blues
3. Thirst
4. The Love Still Held Me Near
5. Two Coins
6. We Found Each Other in the Dark
7. Weightless
8. Underground
9. Astronaut
10. The Grand Optimist (with Ben Harper)
11. Nutshell (Alice in Chains cover)
12. Little Hell
13. Fucked it Up
14. Hard, Hard Time
15. Hello, I’m in Delaware
16. Bow Down to Love
Encore:
17. The Girl
18. Comin’ Home / This Could be Anywhere in the World
19. Lover Come Back
20. Sleeping Sickness
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Andrew Wu is a music photographer based in Toronto, Canada. His work focuses on capturing and documenting special moments of performers during concerts and various events. His photos have been featured such as music publications in Spill Magazine, Imprint Entertainment, and Patchchord News. In 2020, he completed his BFA in photography at OCAD University.
Andrew is a massive fan of music, as he enjoys a variety of genres such as pop, alternative, rock, hardcore, and metal.
