I really had to pause and consider before writing the review of the Sloan concert from May 13 at the Black Cat. I've been a big Sloan fan for many years. The first album of theirs I purchased new was the Twice Removed disc in 1994. I quickly went back and got the first full album, Smeared, and continued on with the '96 release One Chord To Another and Navy Blues ('98).
But something happened between 1998 and 1999. Sloan and I, it seemed, went in two very different directions. Their release that year, Between The Bridges, wasn't a whole lot like the previous discs. Perhaps it was the lack of the catchy pop numbers. Perhaps it was a deeper influence by 1970s/1980s glam/guitar rock. I just wasn't into it.
I kept checking back with each new release since then, hoping and wishing that I'd really like what they were laying down. They were Canadian, for crying out loud. I like everything Canadian. Tim Hortons doughnuts and coffee ... curling ... Sidney Crosby -- it's all good. But it wasn't happening with Sloan.
However, the band's latest release, Never Hear The End Of It, gave hope. Unlike the past couple of releases, I could actually dig it. It sort of went back to old-school Sloan, complete with sharp lyrics and pop hooks.
With that said, I didn't know what to expect when I entered the Cat for the show. I have a feeling the rest of the crowd didn't either. There was a good mix of young and old. The old were perhaps a lot like me -- wondering if the band would pay homage to the old stuff. The young just hoped the band would rock out.
The crowd -- all of about 200 -- paled in comparison to a Sloan show north of the border. There they sell out arenas. There they play to crazed fans. Hey, you don't twice top the list of "Top Canadian Album Of All-Time" (Full Text) without building a wicked-solid fan base.
But upon arriving on stage after 9 p.m. on a Sunday, the boys seemed tickled that 200 people showed up. Band member Chris Murphy referred to it several times within the first 20 minutes of the show.
The first couple of songs were newer Sloan numbers. Then came "G Turns To D" and "Lines You Amend."
There was much rejoicing.
After the elderly cheered, the newer songs returned. And the look and feel of the audience was quite interesting. As the guitars thrashed and the songs began to blend together, the head bobbing dulled and the stares began. Were they entranced by Chris' Hanson Brothers-style mullet? Were they getting tuckered out late on a Sunday night? Or were they trying to figure out where one song ended and another began? For some, it was hard to differentiate between the songs. There was heavy guitar and lots of drums, but nothing was standing out.
There was a brief break when the band dedicated a few Andrew Scott-led tunes to the D.C. punk scene. Those songs were solid. But after that the band reverted back to the same ol' same ol'.
Disappointing, yes. That was always the difference-maker with early Sloan. The songs were always unique, whether it be in lyrics or in sound. What was being played this night in D.C. wasn't.
Murphy continued to try to rile up the crowd by showing off his guns(?) in his tight black shirt while playing one chord to another. But this Sloan fan wasn't feeling the rock star showmanship. And by the look of the crowd, a good number of others weren't either.
Is it a case of the old heads hating a new generation? Maybe we just don't get it anymore. But we sure miss the days of the pop-rock sugar tunes with the catchy lyrics that can make you grin every time you hear them.
From the looks of it, however, Sloan appears to be having fun on stage. And perhaps that's all that matters.
They made records and stuck by their guitars and refused when record labels wanted them to sound a certain way. They've been able to remain a formidable rock band for 15 years. And they've built a fan base in both Canada and the United States.
So they're doing something right. Perhaps it's our goal, then, to look deeper into their songs and figure it all out.
