In lieu of Neil Young and Crazy Horse, City and Colour closed out the first day of Ottawa’s Folk Festival.
City and Colour is ex-Alexisonfire singer and guitarist Dallas Green’s passion project. He has been performing under the alias since 2004.
I did not know what to expect from City and Colour’s performance, but I was nervous about whether they would be able to fill the shoes of Neil Young and Crazy Horse.
The set started after dark and in the cold. I was impressed by the amount of people who stuck out the mediocre weather to see the band.
The set started with Dallas performing acoustically. As he was wrapping up his first song, his band joined him on stage. They picked up their instruments and started rocking, showing off their great chemistry. It’s clear they have been on tour for the last few months, playing together every day. They were all in top shape.
When the band left the stage for the first time, Green brought out a harmonica and covered their first Neil Young song: “Heart of Gold.” While this seemed to disorient some of the younger City and Colour fans, it was nice tip of the hat to the older crowd and any previously disappointed Young fans.
“Heart of Gold” was heartfelt. Green used his harmonica, and seemed a bit nervous the whole time. Fortunately, this uncertainty only served to complement Young’s lyrics and Green did the song justice. He was humble and aware of his role as the backup act.
He seemed happy simply to be at the festival. But the highlight wasn’t Green himself, but rather his band as a whole. City and Colour stole the night away through charm and solid musicianship.
They performed with a full band. It consisted of keys, steel guitar, drums, bass, two guitars, and Green carried lead vocals while others backed him.
The focus was definitely on Green’s singing. His vocals were en pointe, matching the quality of his recording.
His voice was soft but he was able to manipulate it. He knew his vocal strengths and wrote music to complement it.
The crowd ate up his performance. Thousands sang along with him as he ran through his hits, “Coming Home” being the crowd highlight.
Green encouraged the audience to sing, clap and snap throughout the set. There was some great guitar work, and the steel guitar was extraordinary.
Overall, I was surprised by the variety of styles City and Colour integrated into their music.
The band also managed to retain a cohesive sound while integrating folk, rock, garage and country influences.
Great guitar tones, layered with tight percussion and rhythm brought the set from good to great.
The closing song was a cover of Young’s “Like a Hurricane.” This song blew away my expectations. Green’s cover was pitch perfect and his voice bent with ease to cover the classic tune.
The song was an unexpected treat for those who were hoping for Young.
By the end of the night, City and Colour defied expectations, drew a large crowd, and provided an outstanding start to Folk Fest.
