Concert Review: Joel Plaskett

April 26th, 2009. The Carlton, Halifax
Fellow Concert goer: David Marsh
Artist: Joel Plaskett Emergency with Bill Plaskett, Ana & Rose, and Adam Baldwin

Its good to have friends in high places. That is the only way that you get into a "private function" a.k.a. a Joel Plaskett tune up show. Last week we were tipped off about a show, so we tried to go but were not able to get in since we were not on the guest list. 45 minutes and a few phone calls later we were in sitting at a table right in front of Plaskett. First the band started off with the old favourites Work Out Fine and Extraordinary before going into a plethora of songs off his latest album Three. It was the first time that they tried some of the songs live. Ana and Rose, the two female vocalists featured predominantly on the album were there singing along with him. Joel's father Bill also joined him for a few songs including the song country flavoured song Heartless Hearless Heartless which they played as a duo. Some of the new songs sound fantastic, right up there with his other songs. Highlights from the new album include Through & Through & Through, Sailors Eyes, You Let Me Down, and Wishful Thinking. Ana and Rose's vocals add alot to the show, and whoever goes to see him on this tour is surely in for a treat. Mixed in with the new songs they played Down at the Kyber, Penny for Your Thoughts, A Million Dollars, and the catchy Fashionable People featuring Joel on drums. Before playing Lazy Bones he explained how some reviews were calling it the weak point of the album, but he proved that theory wrong. The show ended with Adam Baldwin playing the keys as they played the epic song On and On. Which is properly named since on the album it is twelve minutes long. Live it was way longer. It was fun watching them play it, especially as Joel ended up singing multiple verses at the end about his white cat named Fang. It was a fun, intimate affair. A great way to spend a Sunday night in Halifax.