Brothers and Sisters are you ready!?”
Gordie Johnson bellows to the crowd at Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom. Tonight it seems less of a question or a call back to the album they released in 2001 as it is a rallying cry for Big Sugar fans to prepare themselves for the road ahead. Judging by the crowd’s reaction, their fans are more than ready.
Judging by their performance, so is Big Sugar.
They are already a handful of songs into the set when reggae artist Culture Brown joins them on stage and they launch into “Red Rover.” Although the band plays Vancouver almost every fall, there is something a little different about tonight.
It’s different, but familiar. Big Sugar has always been a band under constant evolution, and with all five members of the massively talented ensemble the same as they were last year, it’s hard to pin-point exactly what that difference is.
Culture Brown’s appearance certainly gives the performance a significant Rastafarian bounce and accentuates the Cuban flavoured influence of Rey Artega’s congo drums. But attributing the change the increased intensity of reggae in the fold seems a bit like attributing a calm sea to gentle waves without mentioning the wind.
There has obviously been a modification to the alchemical make up of the band since we saw them last. The magic that often moves like a spark between them, has been slowly culminating into a full-blown flame, bringing out the musical flavours of each band member as it burns.
It’s impossible to say whether the decision to write an album without any outside influence has ignited the resolve within the troupe, but there is no denying its’ existence. They’ve moved beyond evolution, this is a revolution now.
As per usual, Big Sugar delivered a night of rock and roll wonder. Along with the energetic grooves of Culture Brown, long-time friend and collaborator Shaun Verreault made an appearance later in the evening to add some sweet-sounding slide guitar and vocals to the mix during “Tommy Johnson,” one of the deep cuts of the set. Verreault stayed on stage for the festive single “If Santa Don’t Bring You no Funk” where they were joined by opening band Brass Camel and Finn, the Canucks mascot.
Yup. Finn, the mascot for the Vancouver Canucks was at the Big Sugar Concert. True Story.
They played a well thought out combination of song from every corner of the Big Sugar catalog, including a couple of tracks from Eternity Now, which the band plans to release on March 6th of 2020. Although they have been sampling a few of the new songs at live shows for the past couple of years, it’s been four years since the release of their electrifying mix of rootical reggae, Calling All Youth. Suffice to say the new album should be considered highly anticipated.
I found myself singing along to one of the new tracks, a sweeping, riff-heavy hard-rock hymn called “Anything is Possible,” and was especially stoked to hear “I Want You Now” during the encore. With both the band and their fans ready for what’s around the corner, the next phase of Big Sugar’s sensational odessey is sure sounding sweet.
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