Better Late than Never: The Sheepdogs Rock the Nation's Capital, and Here's What I Have to Say
There are two types of people in this world. Those who are always at the ready for adventure and those who are who are goddamn wet blankets. I like to think of myself as the former. This, in conjunction with my incorrigible tendency to procrastinate, sometimes makes me seem downright brassy.
On this particular occasion, I had put off buying my Sheepdogs ticket until there were practically none to speak of. Super bummer – but do you think I let that get me down? Hell no. I did, however, have to take some extreme measures to get my hands on that sweet, sweet ticket.
Having missed the supremely groovy Saskatoon boys at this year's City Folk Festival in Ottawa, I was not about to let this opportunity pass me by. I was lucky enough to have some serious strings pulled for me, and got into the show with a pretty wicked view, to boot.
With $35 in my pocket, I skipped the lines for beer and coat check and exchanged the cash for a thick, green Spectrasonic stamp on the back of my hand. As I made my way to the fence, I couldn't help but recognise the tangible good vibes that were being radiated within the theatre.
By the time openers, Beat Cops hit the stage, the crowd was primed and ready for some serious rock and roll. And man, were we in luck.
Hailing from the mean streets of Montreal, the boys came out, guns a' blazin', delivering some tremendously funky tunes. "We're called Beat Cops...sounds kind of like Sheepdogs," said frontman, Mikey Heppner. "That's why they let us tour with them." All joking aside, they put on a fantastic show, and, admittedly, I was a little bummed when their set ended.
Now, the moment I had been waiting for since I spent my last tenner on gas that morning: show time. The boys stepped onstage looking handsome as ever in bolos, leather, and a tasteful amount of plaid. Kicking off their set with 'Where I Can Roam,' every head bobbed along, at which point, they smoothly transitioned to 'I'm Gonna Be Myself.' The boys kept it current, playing an ample selection of tracks from their new album Future Nostalgica.
The dogs had everyone in the mood to boogie when they played crowd faves, 'Southern Dreaming,' 'Right On,' and 'Please Don't Lead Me On,' from their third studio album, Learn and Burn. Heads were bangin', hair was whipping, the guys were killing it, all the while taking no mercy. Taking a turn for the psychedelic, the boys slowed things down with 'Learn and Burn.' Fun fact: The Sheepdogs recently added a customized Zippo lighter to their merch...cause there's a lot for you to burn, ya know?
For their encore, the boys finished strong with a brilliant rendition of The Allman Brothers' 'Whipping Post,' melting some faces as they segued flawlessly into Neil Young and Crazy Horse's haunting 'Down by the River.' I knew that I loved these guys long before seeing them live, but I have to say, this performance really sealed the deal. The term 'National Treasure' gets thrown around a lot, but these dudes are always putting out material makes the future of rock and roll look a little less bleak. That, and delivering consistently kickass performances, making me so glad I finally crossed them off my musical bucket list.
Until next time, stay groovy.
-A
On this particular occasion, I had put off buying my Sheepdogs ticket until there were practically none to speak of. Super bummer – but do you think I let that get me down? Hell no. I did, however, have to take some extreme measures to get my hands on that sweet, sweet ticket.
Having missed the supremely groovy Saskatoon boys at this year's City Folk Festival in Ottawa, I was not about to let this opportunity pass me by. I was lucky enough to have some serious strings pulled for me, and got into the show with a pretty wicked view, to boot.
With $35 in my pocket, I skipped the lines for beer and coat check and exchanged the cash for a thick, green Spectrasonic stamp on the back of my hand. As I made my way to the fence, I couldn't help but recognise the tangible good vibes that were being radiated within the theatre.
By the time openers, Beat Cops hit the stage, the crowd was primed and ready for some serious rock and roll. And man, were we in luck.
Hailing from the mean streets of Montreal, the boys came out, guns a' blazin', delivering some tremendously funky tunes. "We're called Beat Cops...sounds kind of like Sheepdogs," said frontman, Mikey Heppner. "That's why they let us tour with them." All joking aside, they put on a fantastic show, and, admittedly, I was a little bummed when their set ended.
Now, the moment I had been waiting for since I spent my last tenner on gas that morning: show time. The boys stepped onstage looking handsome as ever in bolos, leather, and a tasteful amount of plaid. Kicking off their set with 'Where I Can Roam,' every head bobbed along, at which point, they smoothly transitioned to 'I'm Gonna Be Myself.' The boys kept it current, playing an ample selection of tracks from their new album Future Nostalgica.
The dogs had everyone in the mood to boogie when they played crowd faves, 'Southern Dreaming,' 'Right On,' and 'Please Don't Lead Me On,' from their third studio album, Learn and Burn. Heads were bangin', hair was whipping, the guys were killing it, all the while taking no mercy. Taking a turn for the psychedelic, the boys slowed things down with 'Learn and Burn.' Fun fact: The Sheepdogs recently added a customized Zippo lighter to their merch...cause there's a lot for you to burn, ya know?
For their encore, the boys finished strong with a brilliant rendition of The Allman Brothers' 'Whipping Post,' melting some faces as they segued flawlessly into Neil Young and Crazy Horse's haunting 'Down by the River.' I knew that I loved these guys long before seeing them live, but I have to say, this performance really sealed the deal. The term 'National Treasure' gets thrown around a lot, but these dudes are always putting out material makes the future of rock and roll look a little less bleak. That, and delivering consistently kickass performances, making me so glad I finally crossed them off my musical bucket list.
Until next time, stay groovy.
-A
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| My favourite Sheepdogs playlist...check it out! |