Sloan- Is That All I Get?...19 Years Later

 "It's very special night tonight because not only is it Patrick's birthday today, but 19 years ago on this very night, in this very room, I'm not even joking. We played and the show got made in a bootleg..." Chris Murphy announced before launching into the 4th song off Twice Removed, Coax Me. Yes, it was a special night especially if you're a Sloan fan that loved the album, Twice Removed because the band is touring across the country (and the U.S.) performing that album in it's entirety as well as a sampling from their other 9 albums. Since it seems to be trendy and in fashion to perform a whole record (more on that in future posts), the choice of Twice Removed is a clever and popular choice. Before the album was released in 1994, there was talk that their label, Geffen wanted the band to re-record the album citing creative differences in the sound of the record. As a result Geffen didn't promote the release and dropped the band, leaving Twice Removed unpromoted and unheard in many parts of the country. Similar to Wilco's, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot debacle, this album went on to become Sloan's most critically acclaimed record and after the commercial success of their next album, One Chord To Another, fans became aware of what a great record Twice Removed was.

Sloan played two sets, the first was the 12 songs from Twice Removed and the second set was the party set complete with smashing guitars, cake and a birthday singalong for Patrick Pentland's birthday. A couple days earlier on Facebook, the band sent out a request for used guitars (to smash) as a surprise for Patrick. Apparently during the show 19 years ago, Pentland smashed a guitar, so this time one by one band members smashed guitars (and a keytar) on the stage climaxing during their last song of the encore with Pentland destroying a green heavy metal-ish electric guitar (see the photos above and check the videos on the TDIT Facebook page).

Highlights include:

• The whole first set- What a great album, the songs flow nicely together in sequence and it's nice to hear deeper tracks that they might not perform much live. It's amazing how a band with 4 songwriters/singers can survive all these years without anyone leaving to do a solo album.
• Sound was somewhat decent considering the Pyramid always suffers from terrible sound. I stood close (just in front of the hanging PA speakers) and I had ringing in my ears days later. Towards the end of the show the sound seemed to get louder (and more painful) and during the last song the sound distorts even on my recording. I actually was surprised how good the recording came out considering.
• Epic show! The first and second sets added up to over 2 hours. This was my first Sloan show and I'll be back especially if they play One Chord To Another.

Lowlights include:

• "It's not the band I hate, it's their fans". Not all, but some are sure aggravating! The chatter around me was kept to a minimum and I didn't shoved around too much, but closer to the front some drunken idiots were tossed out for their efforts pushing and moving side to side, not up and down. Is anyone else annoyed with the amount of people that hold up their iPhones or Smartphones in the air to video and take photos? I don't mind when people put their arms in the air to take a couple of photos then go back to watching the show (I do this), but some fans had them waving in my face and the band's continually. At one point (during Unkind) Chris Murphy grabbed a girl's camera/phone or whatever that she kept shoving in his face and he finally batted it out of her hand to the ground. She was quickly escorted out. I've heard that at some shows people hold up their iPads to take photos and hi-def video...this is really getting out of hand!
• Did I mention my ears were ringing days later? Actually this is my own fault, standing too close. I think I'm getting too old for this. The price you pay to get some decent photos and a clear recording, but it was worth it!

 As I said earlier, the recording turned out better than I expected. The sound is balanced and the vocals are clearer than I remember. The recording sounds a little muffled in parts and that's from turning from being pushed or when I held my arms in the air over the mic to take photos. This would make a nice bootleg sequel to Is That All I Get (19 years later) in case the Sloan crew is interested, (but I'm sure they must have made a better recording). Let me know!
Enjoy!

SLOAN
Pyramid Cabaret
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
September 20, 2012
Audience Master

Set 1 (disc 1)- TWICE REMOVED
01. Penpals
02. I Hate My Generation
03. People Of The Sky
04. Coax Me
05. Bells On
06. Loosens
07. Worried Now
08. Shame Shame
09. Deeper Than Beauty
10. Snowsuit Sound
11. Before I Do
12. I Can Feel It

Set 2 (disc 2)
01. Everything You've Done Wrong
02. Who Taught You To Live Like That?
03. Rest Of My Life
04. Unkind
05. Beverly Terrace
06. Shadow Of Love
07. Emergency 911
08. She's Slowing Down Again
09. Something's Wrong
10. Traces
11. Fading Into Obscurity
12. Witch's Wand
13. Good In Everyone
14. The Other Man
15. Poor Boy
16. Money City Maniacs
17.
18. "Happy Birthday Patrick"
19. The Rest Of My Life
20. The Lines You Amend
21. If It Feels Good Do It

SLOAN- 2012-09-20 Winnipeg FLAC. rar (Disc 1)
SLOAN- 2012-09-20 Winnipeg FLAC. rar (Disc 2)