It has long been a mystery to me why, when a member of a popular band does a solo project and tour, the fans don’t support it as much as they do the group. Often artists put out stellar albums yet they play venues like Mac Hall or bars while their bands fill theatres and arenas. Take Alan Doyle, front-man for Great Big Sea. When he last toured solo he played the Ironwood in Inglewood and, just a few months later, Great Big Sea had a pair of sold out shows at the Jubilee Auditorium. Doyle’s current tour behind his latest release So Let’s Go visits a lot of small venues across Canada. In the case of Calgary, however, over 1000 people showed up to the Jack Singer Concert Hall March 8th to see Doyle and his ‘beautiful gypsies’ live on stage.
The concert – which ran over two sets and spanned more than two hours – was book ended by just Doyle in the spotlight. He started the show with "Dream of Home" and concluded it with "Where I Belong" a capella. I have long favoured these stripped-down moments in shows and, in Doyle’s case, it definitely reflects back on how he would have sang songs growing up in Petty Harbour, Newfoundland. It was a great start and finale to a show that featured the same energy and stellar performance that has made Doyle and Great Big Sea one of Canada’s best live shows.
If you don’t have Doyle’s two solo discs (2012’s Boy on Bridge and 2015’s So Let's Go), you might have felt a bit of a disconnect from the show, but it would not have made it any less enjoyable. The 27 song set relied heavily on So Let’s Go, but with great songs like "1 2 3 4" – that had the audience dancing – or the tragically beautiful "Laying Down To Perish", which Doyle introduced with a story of sailors who realized they were not going to get home and so carved their names and the words ‘laying down to perish’ on a piece of the boat, setting it adrift as a message to their families, you were instantly engaged with the stories that his songs evoke.
Engaging also is Doyle himself, who amicably chatted between songs, making jokes, sharing what songs meant and, at times, stumbling over his words.
"I should have practiced that introduction before," he said, while trying to explain that the song "Northern Plains" was written in Alberta. "Look at me ruining my own show."
"I wrote this song with a struggling Australian actor named Russel Crowe. His big break was his appearance on The Republic of Doyle," he quipped about his long-time friend – just one of the many jokes that had the audience laughing and enjoying being in the presence of Doyle. Whether on stage or in interviews, Doyle has always had that Easterner charm, and it feels like you are sitting in a pub sharing stories and music over a few beers.
Many times when doing a solo tour, the artists’ band material is completely ignored – which may be part of the reason for the change in audience – but Doyle did not ignore Great Big Sea. Songs like "When I’m Up", "Sea of No Cares", "Run Runaway" and "Ordinary Day" appeared in the set and were delivered excellently by guitarist Cory Tetford, accordianist Todd Lumley, bassist Shehab Illyas, drummer Kris MacFarlane and fiddle player Kendel Carson. A solid band can make or break a show and Doyle’s group, dubbed ‘the Beautiful Gypsies’, definitely made it one to remember.
The Alan Doyle concert was an example of how good a solo project show can be. He’s the same guy that fronts one of our most popular bands. While the set list is different, and it’s not a Great Big Sea show, it is an Alan Doyle concert which, on its own, is a damn good thing and a pleasure to attend. If you are a fan of any of his work don’t make the mistake of missing him again.
