Toronto – The connection between a musician and her crowd is an interesting one. As an artist, you’re putting yourself on the line as a crowd examines your every move and sound. The pressure to deliver on the spot is enough to make anyone quiver. Thankfully, if the crowd is sending positive vibes towards the artist, then magic happens. The musician is emboldened to give it her all. She gets energized by the crowd, and can take things to the next level. It’s a positive feedback loop; kind of like those televised cheerleading competitions where you have cheerleaders in the crowd cheering on other cheerleaders who are cheerleading on stage. This was certainly the case last Tuesday at the Phoenix.
Basia Bulat opened for Josh Ritter on the 2nd date of a Canadian cross country tour. The set began with a quiet ukulele song that showcased her musicality and sensuous voice. From there she moved into some more upbeat songs, and after about three tunes we hit that magical inflection point. The crowd’s raucous applause and familiarity with her material inspired Basia to throw herself into her music headfirst. She sang a little more loudly, plucked her autoharp a little more forcefully, and smiled a little more happily. This in turn caused the crowd to clap a little more loudly, tap our toes a little more quickly, and enjoy ourselves immensely. Basia plays heartfelt singer-songwriter fare with energy and poise. Songs were featured from both her breakout album Oh My Darling and her latest effort, Heart Of My Own. Her music was a well-paired wine for the sound that was to follow in Josh Ritter.
Toronto looks forward to when she’s back in her hometown.
