My wife and I have been Great Big Sea fan-atics since around 1998.  Our first CD was "Rant and Roar", and we have since acquired them all - and listen to them all.  We listen to GBS almost every night - sometimes for a few moments and often for a few hours.  Depending on the day that I have had - and the people with whom I have had to contend, I often come home and play "Ordinary People" one or several times.  I do this as soon as I walk in the door - before opening the mail, walking the dogs, getting a beer, having dinner, or whatever.

We have wanted to see the band for several years, but what with work and other commitments - and the fact that we live in the northwest section of the Lower Peninsula of Michian (about 270 miles north of Detroit, and 100 miles south of Sault Sainte Marie), we have never had the opportunity until yesterday.  Luckily for us, I just happened to go to the Great Big Sea website at 2:00 AM on June 26 to see when they would be on tour again, and saw that tickets for a show in Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario for September 25 would go on sale at 8:00 AM that very morning - just six hours away.  I took this as an answer to a prayer. 

That concert was last evening at 8:00 AM.  My wife and I both fixed our work schedules for yesterday three months ago.  We scheduled a camping spot at a state park in Brimley, Michigan - about 15 miles from the Soo - also three months ago.  We left our house yesterday morning at 8:00 AM, and had our camper set up in Brimley by 10:00 AM.  We dropped the camper and left for Canada by 12:00 Noon even though the concert venue was only about a thirty minute drive away because we did not want to risk having a mechanical malfunction or problems with customs making us late for the concert.  We found the arena by 12:30 PM, and were happy to check out Sault Sainte Marie for six and a half hours secure in the fact that we were going to enjoy our first Great Big Sea concert.

And, we most decidedly did enjoy our first GBS concert.  The opening act, Jeremy Fisher, was good, but Great Big Sea was fantastic!!  I am 58 years old, and have gone to concerts by various artists since I started college in 1969.  While I can't say this was the best concert that I have ever attended, I can say that I have never been to a better concert.  One of my favorite bands since my college days has always been the Grateful Dead, and - over the years - I probably saw them ten times.  Some of their concerts were awesome;  this was just as good. 

I still love the Grateful Dead as much as ever;  I just love Great Big Sea just as much.  Both bands represent the best musicianship in their particular genres;  and both put on mind-numbing shows - both in their musical abilities and in their showmanship.  I am no longer a GBS concert virgin;  I am already looking forward to their next show I can attend - consistent with keeping my job.

The acoustics at last night's show did leave a bit to be desired, but that is because the sound system and physical and accoustical properties of a hockey arena are not necessarily ideal for a concert.  This is not in any way the fault of Great Big Sea.  I made the decision to live where I do;  and I love living where I do.  My nearest neighbors are a mile away;  we occasionally see bear, deer, cougars, wolves, fox etc. from - or near - our house;  the nearest "city" of 15,000 people is over 100 miles away;  our closest shopping mall is also over 100 miles away;  and we have thousands of acres of pristine forests and clean lakes - Great and small alike - around us.  We live so far out that we can not get broadcast or cable television - satelite is our only option.  By the way, we do not elect to take that option either - giving us more time to devote to reading and Great Big Sea - among other musical groups.  So, if I have to put up with the acoustics of a hockey arena to hear as great of a concert as I did last night, so be it.

The play list was wonderful - a mixture of great songs from the old and new CD's.  There were two encores of three songs each - and, when the lights did not immediately come back on, I even thought there might be the possibility of a third.  Oh well;  we must not be greedy!  Every song they played was one of my favorites, and I kept hoping to hear other favorites such as "French Perfume", "Scolding Wife", or "Yarmouth Town" - all three off a truly classic album, "Sea of No Cares."  THe fact that these were not played just gives me more reason to hie myself to another GBS concert.

I was also impressed with the audience - all nationalities and ages were represented.  I saw an elderly couple probably in their 70's or 80's on the floor sitting - actually standing since they were on the floor - next to a family of six whose youngest was around 3.  It was a Norman Rockwell type moment.

My wife and I did not drink - at the show or after - only because we did not want any problems with U. S. customs on our way back to our campsite.  We got back to the trailer around 12:00 midnight, but we were so keyed up from the wonderful show that we did not get to sleep until daybreak around 6:30 or 7:00 AM.  We just drank some beer and Irish Whiskey and listened to the wonderful Great Big Sea CD's and DVD's that we had brought for the drive.  In fact, we only took GBS music and videos for the trip.  We got up about four hours later, communed with nature until the early evening, and just got home an hour or so ago.  And I immediately felt compelled to go to the Great Big Sea website to describe the almost indescribable pleasure of seeing our first GBS concert.  And now, to bed to, hopeful, relive that dream!

Yours in Peace,

Quakertrucker

Now you've really been bitten by the GBS bug. It's a good bug though. Might make you spend more money but it doesn't make you sick! Ordinary Day is a special song to me also. Come back often. We enjoyed your first review.

Anne

Welcome Aboard!

It sounds like we have much in common - although I am 10 yrs younger, i also saw the Dead many times in college (about 30x!!!) and i agree that there are many similiarities, even with the vastly different style of music.  One of those being the community, and the number of people who do travel many miles to catch a show ( or more!).

We also live WAY out in the country in Colorado, surrounded by nature and wildlife, 15 miles from a one traffic light/general store kind of town!  Although, in my case I am only 70 miles to Denver and 25 to Colo Springs.

And of course, I LOVE GBS!  They only come through Denver once every other year or so ... so, yes, I travel great distances to catch a show!

I am happy for you and your wife that everything worked out so perfectly for you and that you finally got to see these guys live.  I hope you can get to more in the future!

Cheers!

Helenwheels, after reading your post, I would only disagree to the extent that I would say the one overriding similarity between Great Big Sea and the Grateful Dead is the community!  Both of these groups have had an effect on their fans that far transcends the music.  Granted, both groups are/were (now that Jerry has passed) fantastic musicians and showmen, but they also have a certain je ne sais quoi (I generally avoid using foreign phrases such as this, but just saying "something special" doesn't quite cut it) that turns disparate fans into a family.  The Grateful Dead had this quality, the Rolling Stones (no matter how well Mick and the gang played did not);  Great Big Sea has this property, the Pogues (another one of my favorite Celtic- themed bands) does not.

Even at their heyday, there were musicians that were more technically proficient than Jerry Garcia or the Grateful Dead - or that put on more visually-overwhelming shows.  This attribute is also much more than mere charisma.  These other bands did not inspire their fans to follow them for an entire tour, often with no money, no car, or no tickets - just determination, faith, and love.  These other bands also did not inspire their followers to get vanity plates of "DED HED" as I had for six years until Garcia died.  In Michigan, license plates can have seven spaces.

Then, in the hours before a show, the family would gather - some whom had met just the night before at the last show, some of whom had last been at a show two months ago, some of whom had last attended a show two years ago, and some of whom were new to the community.  It did not matter;  all were welcomed - back or anew - and familial relationships were made or reestablished.  As when any family gathers, a lapse of several years was bridged in a few seconds.

Great Big Sea has that same dynamic quality.  And, they have the same breadth of humanity in their family.  Just as it was almost cliche for three related generations to attend a Grateful Dead concert, I saw fans in attendence at the Sault Sainte Marie (called the Soo by people living there or here) from the ages of two or three up to their 70's or 80's.  Again, bands in general do not attract fans across that wide of a demographic.  Fans of Big Bands, for example - and I listen to some - tend to be in their 70's or older, while fans of hip-hop tend to be in their 30's or younger.  It takes a special quality for a band to attract listeners from all age groups.

And, as you mentioned - just as with the Grateful Dead - fans of Great Big Sea are willing to take a great leap of faith and drive long distances to see the band, sure in the knowledge that a ticket will materialize.  Unfortunately for me, - at least in my personal ability to follow a band - I was given a very Calvinistic upbringing.  Other than for planned vacations, I have not missed day of work in about seven years;  and I feel a deep responsibility to be there when we are busy.  I have even blown off a few days of a family (personal, as opposed to communal family) reunion because of work scheduled unexpectedly.  And, when I was in school, I had the same attitude toward my studies.  I most decidedly do not see this as one of my better qualities.

It does, however, explain why Friday night in the Soo was my first Great Big Sea concert.  It also explains why I only saw the Dead about five times a compared to your thirty plus times.  It never has been a question of money;  I waste enough money that I could easily attend several concerts - even if they were at a considerable distance.  It is, however, a question of the time required.  I only saw the Dead when they came to me in, or near, Lexington, Kentucky.  And, I have also only seen Great Big Sea when they came to me.

We are now in our slow season at work and, since the concert was on a Friday, I only had to take off one day.  I would have liked to have driven the extra hundred miles to see them on Saturday in Sudbury, but my wife is a nurse at a very shorthanded hospital - as are they all - and had to be back at work at 7:00 AM on Sunday.  Of course, I would never dream of attending a Great Big Sea concert if I could not share the experience with my wife. 

So, we saw the one concert and enjoyed it very much.  We are planning/hoping to see another concert as soon as possible - given the parameters mentioned above.  We both have work/professional responsibilities in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico from October 16 through the 27th.  I looked at the rest of the present tour to see if GBS would be playing a show within 100 miles of those cities in that time frame, such that we could drive to the concert after a day's meeting were complete.  Unfortunately, no such opportunities presented themselves.

You mentioned that you are about 15 miles from a one-stoplight town;  we live about 20 miles from any stoplight.  I love living where I do for that reason - and the others that I enumerated earlier - just as I am sure that you love living where you do for your similarly expressed reasons.

Worst come to worst, I can always put Great Big Sea on the stereo and crank up the volume - as I did a couple of hours ago - and serenade the wildlife - as I still am.  By the way, I still listen to the Dead pretty often too;  the concert the other night just still has me geeked on GBS! 

I will definitely make the effort to attend another Great Big Sea family reunion.  I could not have asked for better in-laws - and out-laws - than I met in the Soo on Friday night.

No matter what happens, you just got to say, it's all right!

Yours in Peace,

Quakertrucker   

Welcome to Sault Ste Marie & your first GBS Concert!!!

 I too attended the concert on Friday and it was beyond fantastic!! They were here about 5 years ago in an auditorium and I thought they were great then!! Change of venue makes all the difference!!! I was fortunate to be front row centre.. (Right in front of Sean... mMMM.. loved catching his eye lol) .. and I will never forget that experience. From the opening tunes of Donkey Riding..to the last beat of Old Black Rum..  I didn't stop dancing, jumping, clapping & singing!!!

 I'm glad that you got to find your way to our little town to experience your first GBS concert and had a fantastic time!!! Hopefully they (& you) come back soon!

quakertrucker:

I will definitely make the effort to attend another Great Big Sea family reunion.  I could not have asked for better in-laws - and out-laws - than I met in the Soo on Friday night.

No matter what happens, you just got to say, it's all right!

Yours in Peace,

Quakertrucker   

Quakertrucker - I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed reading your post, and could not possibly agree more with your assessment of the fan base "family".  It is truly one of the major reasons that I do travel around as much as I do to see GBS.  I am EXTREMELY lucky in that my job affords me the luxury of working anywhere I can get an internet connection...  and I do take full advantage of that situation.

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, and I hope that our paths cross someday soon!

K.

I, too, agree with your feelings of family. I have made some Amazing friends through this community. Although I don't get to see them as often as I like, they are always around when needed.

You'll find the more you post, the more friends you find. 

Thanks for sharing a wonderful adventure with us, post often!!