Concert Review: Hot Water Music, January 29, Danforth Music Hall

It’s always appreciated when set times are provided for shows. It helps to know when things get going so you can plan accordingly. And since Hot Water Music were scheduled to be onstage at The Danforth Music Hall at 9:45 and I was meeting some friends at the pub next door, I figured I had plenty of time. Then we discovered that the band went on early. Because of this, I showed up late, thus missing “Remedy” and “Trusty Chords,” two of my favourite HWM songs. Oh well, so it goes.

Though I missed the beginning, I did see the bulk of the show and it was good. Though the band has been around for awhile, this was the first time I’d seen them. It was a solid performance, one full of the usual raspy, heartfelt vocals from singers Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard as well as plenty of singalong-inspiring “whoas.” Much of the crowd looked to be longtime fans (ie. bearded dudes in their 30s wearing plaid) though there were a few youngsters in attendance as well. One couple in particular stood out. In the midst of the crowd on the floor were two young lovebirds ensconced in a serious makeout session. Good on them I guess; you’ve got to strike while the iron’s hot I suppose, but still … what’s up with that? It’s not like we were grooving to some R’nB slow jams or something. Time and place, kids, time and place.

Speaking of the youth, if Twitter is to be trusted (and when is it not trustworthy?), a large chunk of the crowd left after openers La Dispute finished. It’s only fair I suppose – if I can skip the openers, I’m sure there’s folks out there that don’t care about HWM – but still, why not stick around? Their loss I suppose. Overall, HWM put on a solid set, albeit one that seemed a little too brief, even though they did play for roughly an hour. I guess that old saying about time flying while you’re having fun applies in this case.

Posted on by Paul in Concerts