Blue Rodeo True to Their Nature at Prospera Place

Canadian icons Blue Rodeo truly lived up to the In Our Nature tour name on Monday night by simply doing what they have done for so many years now; they confidently took the stage and delivered classic performances of their most well loved tunes as well as presented the songs from their new In Our Nature album.

That Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor are gifted songwriters is not really news to anybody. That this band has a real ability to perform those songs live without a lot of fanfare or production is a testimony to both the stength of the songs themselves as well as the nature of this group of musicians. These guys go back a few years together, and it showed through rock solid treatments of all the material new and old.

Both Cuddy and Keelor sang well. Each displayed the nuance and dynamics with the lyrics that come most honestly and effortlesly from the person who pens the song. Never a hint of pretense, always soaked with the soul of those who have seen, lived and learned muich. Genuinely human performances that spoke eloquently of the human condition.

The recent addition of Colin Cripps to the band changes the flavor without overhaulng the sound. He is a talented guitarist, producer, and all around musician. Taking his place stage right on the front row along with Cuddy and Keelor made sense musically as well as visually.

There are times when this reviewer wishes the band might bring up the level of staging just slightly. When Cuddy moves to the back of the stage to sing from behind the piano he tends to receed from view when he should perhaps be more accented. It's always tough when a frontman plays more then one instrument but again, Blue Rodeo stays true to their nature in that they are a band first and foremost, albeit a band with a couple of incredibly talented songwriters who front the thing vocally..

This show featured the unusual twist of playing all the material from their latest CD in the first set, leaving all the hits and fan favorites until after the intermission. Ballsy move as lesser bands might struggle with capturing and then holding their audience. Such is the nature of Blue Rodeo, their longevity and their fans, that this band pulled it off expertly.

All in all it was a great night. The Devin Cuddy band delivered a strong opening set that portends well for this young group of players. All the new material from In Our Nature, the addition of Colin Cripps, and of course all the great older material and the sublimely subtle and masterfully played arrangements of the classic BR hits left no itch unscratched and added up to another natural Blue Rodeo experience.