Live And In The Flesh
Constantines - March 18, 2006
Not even two weeks after making the six hour road trip down to London, ON to catch Nine Inch Nails live with Saul Williams, I was back out enjoying some more live music. The concert bug had been entrenched within me for quite some time now and I wasn't planning on missing any shows if I could help it. Canadian indie rockers, the Constantines, had released their third full length album, Tournament of Hearts, in the Fall of 2005 and were out hitting the road steadily promoting their latest effort. I hadn't had the opportunity to catch the Constantines live yet, but I had been enjoying them since a friend from college had turned me onto them a few years earlier. They had scheduled a stop in the Nation's Capital on a Saturday in March, and it was only $20 to get in! How could anyone pass up a show like this for $20 on a Saturday night?
Listening to the Constantines for the forty-five minute drive into Ottawa had me excited for the show. The gig was being held at The New Capital Music Hall downtown on York. I hadn't checked out any bands there yet and I was looking forward to seeing how they had things set up. It wasn't long before they began letting the fans in who had been lined up waiting outside. Being among the first dozen or so to gain access to the club provided a pretty decent spot up close to the stage. I wasn't sure who they had lined up as an opener for the night, whether it would be someone local or a band the Constantines had brought along with them.
As soon as the openers took to the stage I was pleasantly surprised with who it was. The Unintended, Canadian indie supergroup featuring The Sadies, Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo and Rick White of Eric's Trip were up on stage getting everyone warmed up for the show. Apparently the two bands had recently put together a 12" split, with the Cons covering Neil Young on one side, and the Unintended playing Gordon Lightfoot on the other. To this day I still wish I had of picked up that vinyl at their show, seeing as how it was limited to a 1000 copy run. By the time the Unintended wrapped up their half hour set the crowd was ready for the Constantines!
The Constantines stormed the stage and were full of energy right from the beginning notes. Opening things up with the first track from their latest album, Draw Us Lines had everyone loving the show instantly. The collective chemistry seemed to shine through one song after the next. They seemed pretty happy with how the crowd was taking in their newer material throughout the night. A good three-quarters of Tournament of Hearts was showcased making up half of their setlist. Hotline Operator, Soon Enough, Thieves and Working Full-Time were all awesome to see live. You could tell that the Cons were happy with their latest effort and glad to be back out on the road sharing it with their fans. The 500-700 capacity venue seemed like a perfect fit for the Canadian indie rockers as they continued to belt out their tunes to the nearly full attendance.
A few of their classics were also thrown into the mix. I was happy to hear anything really, but their 2003 Shine a Light album had really been growing on me lately so hearing Young Lions, Nighttime/Anytime (It's Alright) and the title track Shine a Light really helped top the show off for me. Tossing in a few tracks from their debut self-titled album was just an added bonus by this point in their show. After playing just over a dozen or so tracks, the band wrapped things up and stuck around to chat it up with some fans while they tore down their gear. I picked up their Shine a Light album on vinyl that night and haven't been able to get enough of it since. My first experience with the Constantines live was fantastic, and it would surely prove to not be my last.