(The members of 54•40 like to stand really far apart when playing shows. They have boundary issues. © 2010 Robert Shaer.)
As 54•40 took the stage late Sunday night at Surrey's Holland Park, the 3000-strong audience was dizzy with anticipation. Few Vancouver-based bands can offer the same archive of material that 54•40 bring to the stage and we couldn't wait to hear our favourites played live one more time.
Brought to the Surrey 2010 Celebration Site for the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, 54•40 blew the tent up with what they're best known for: cranked amps, prominent guitar and Neil Osborne's iconic voice. With each song, Neil, Brad and the rest of the band reminded me and thousands of others how many 54•40 songs we've treasured for more than 20 years.
(Lead singer Neil Osborne seducing the crowd with bedroom eyes. © 2010 Robert Shaer.)
Song after song and hit after hit, from "Lies To Me" to the encore closing "Love You All", lead singer Osborne shot the audience smiles that seemed to say, 'I love that you still love our music.' As a band, despite lineup changes over the years, 54•40 has the stage presence of a mature and self-assured group, confident in their songs, musicianship and ability to connect with their audience. Bringing out many of their best-known songs, the quintet thrilled the audience with versions of "Baby Ran", "One Gun", "One Day in Your Life" and "She La", and when Osborne turned the stage microphones toward the audience during "Ocean Pearl", we tried to fill the night outside the tent with our collective voice singing along.
Following 1998's "Since When", Osborne intoned to the audience, "Don't be let down by tonight's hockey game," referring to Canada's 5-3 defeat that night to Team USA. "We're throwing the biggest house party ever, we invited the world and it won't be over 'til March!" Typically stoic bass player Brad Merritt started chanting "GO CANADA GO!" and the audience followed suit throughout the duration of "Casual Viewin'". If we weren't fired up then to be in that venue, to be Canadian and to be hosting the world for the Olympic Winter Games, we certainly were when that song came to its climactic finish and Osborne implored us to keep cheer alive.
(Osborne thinking and belching at the same time. © 2010 Robert Shaer.)
There is something truly genuine about the way 54•40 approaches their music. It's sometimes loud, and songs can mellow out with acoustic guitars and be brought to volume again with a simple bass chord and drum riff. But it's always honest, even when covering Bob Dylan's "Walkin' Down the Line". I had the sense, in the closing bars of "Love You All", that their last song choice was literally a thank you to fans who love that 54•40 still love to play.
Brought to the Surrey 2010 Celebration Site for the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, 54•40 blew the tent up with what they're best known for: cranked amps, prominent guitar and Neil Osborne's iconic voice. With each song, Neil, Brad and the rest of the band reminded me and thousands of others how many 54•40 songs we've treasured for more than 20 years.
(Lead singer Neil Osborne seducing the crowd with bedroom eyes. © 2010 Robert Shaer.)
Song after song and hit after hit, from "Lies To Me" to the encore closing "Love You All", lead singer Osborne shot the audience smiles that seemed to say, 'I love that you still love our music.' As a band, despite lineup changes over the years, 54•40 has the stage presence of a mature and self-assured group, confident in their songs, musicianship and ability to connect with their audience. Bringing out many of their best-known songs, the quintet thrilled the audience with versions of "Baby Ran", "One Gun", "One Day in Your Life" and "She La", and when Osborne turned the stage microphones toward the audience during "Ocean Pearl", we tried to fill the night outside the tent with our collective voice singing along.
Following 1998's "Since When", Osborne intoned to the audience, "Don't be let down by tonight's hockey game," referring to Canada's 5-3 defeat that night to Team USA. "We're throwing the biggest house party ever, we invited the world and it won't be over 'til March!" Typically stoic bass player Brad Merritt started chanting "GO CANADA GO!" and the audience followed suit throughout the duration of "Casual Viewin'". If we weren't fired up then to be in that venue, to be Canadian and to be hosting the world for the Olympic Winter Games, we certainly were when that song came to its climactic finish and Osborne implored us to keep cheer alive.
(Osborne thinking and belching at the same time. © 2010 Robert Shaer.)
There is something truly genuine about the way 54•40 approaches their music. It's sometimes loud, and songs can mellow out with acoustic guitars and be brought to volume again with a simple bass chord and drum riff. But it's always honest, even when covering Bob Dylan's "Walkin' Down the Line". I had the sense, in the closing bars of "Love You All", that their last song choice was literally a thank you to fans who love that 54•40 still love to play.
* * * * *
Robert Shaer is a Vancouver-based writer and photographer who is currently hungover. More of his work can be seen online at Robert's blog.
54•40 played the Surrey 2010 Celebration Site in Holland Park on February 21st, 2010.
54•40 played the Surrey 2010 Celebration Site in Holland Park on February 21st, 2010.
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