Jim Cuddy (l) and Lanny McDonald’s a capella battle at Juno Cup in Calgary was a highlight
Some of the best moments in live music have nothing to do with music at all. Here are some of the more memorable instances of banter, showmanship and general antics from the past year.
Les Savy Fav: Front man Tim Harrington entered through the crowd, carrying a huge fruit tray, then burst into a pummelling rendition of “The Equestrian,” pulling an adoring fan onstage, riding him like a horse and regurgitating banana into his mouth.
Violent Femmes: Bass player Brian Ritchie refused to play on “Blister in the Sun,” clearly upset about the recent decision to license that song for a fast food ad. A month later, he filed suit against lead singer Gordon Gano for rights to half the band’s songs. Snap, Daddy, Snap!
Besnard Lakes: Note to Montreal psych-rock titans: belching fake smoke into the crowd at every “when White Rabbit peaks” moment got really old really fast.
Girl Talk: Although B.C. prog rockers Bend Sinister were playing far better songs just a few doors down on the very same night, mash-up mogul Gregg Gillis made the Warehouse the place to be, packing dozens of sweaty bodies onstage and inspiring some kind of disco catharsis.
Modest Mouse: In the wake of a show-stealing opening act by Man Man, front man and walking train wreck Isaac Brock, midway through an awkwardly long set, felt compelled to shout at (and, allegedly, expectorate upon) a security guard standing by the stage. Classy!
C.R. Avery & The Consonant C: During one of many excellent shows in the That Empty Space series at the University of Calgary, beat-boxing warrior poet Avery spontaneously decided to call the local dream folk outfit back onstage for a free-form collaboration that was nothing short of magical.
Lanny MacDonald versus Jim Cuddy: The Junos yielded plenty of magic moments, but few were more memorable than the Juno Cup’s a capella battle between hockey legend and music icon to see who could muster the better rendition of Blue Rodeo’s “Try.” Remarkably, Lanny won.
