Tonight at Casino NB the crowd gathered to see Montreal rocker Sam Roberts and his band. Roberts has been a fixture on the Canadian music scene since the early 2000’s when his hit “Don’t Walk Away Eileen” was in heavy rotation on Canadian radio and has had a smattering of hits over the last decade. But first up we had musician Adam Balwin from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia to warm up the fans in the Molson Canadian Centre this evening.
Due to some logistics and timing I was unable to get photos of the opener this time but still got to view most of their forty minute set prior to the headliner. Some may have recognized Baldwin if they are fans of another Canadian artist in Matt Mays, since Baldwin has played guitar in Mays band since 2008. While I enjoyed the set it was almost like it was being forced a bit, with there being an obvious influence of Springsteen and the like in the musical musings of the band and Baldwin.
Sam Roberts – Casino NB – 11/16/16 ~ Refrain Photography
Sam Roberts took to the stage with no introduction and broke right into their first song right away. You’ll notice a general lack of photos in this review as this has to be one of the worst “lit” shows I have ever attended, let alone tried to shoot. During the first three songs (which is typically when us intrepid reporters are allowed to photograph) the stage was awash in full reds, and blues, back lit and sometimes almost in full darkness. We literally could not see the face of the performers at times, some will say what does that matter you’re there to listen, for me and many others I come to “see” the performer. At times throughout the show I went to the back of the room and literally, if there was no sound, I couldn’t have told you who was on the stage. To me this made the show quite a bit less enjoyable from a viewer stand point.
But I digress, on to the music, which as usual with a Sam Roberts show was nothing but great. Sam Roberts is a Canadian rock singer and songwriter, whose 2001 debut release, The Inhuman Condition, became one of the bestselling releases in Canadian music history. Since then he has kept rolling releasing six more full studio albums and extensively touring over the last 15 years.
Rolling through the familiar tunes and the new songs like one of his latest singles “If You Want It”, off of their recently released studio album Terraform. Roberts entertained the strong fans base that knew the words to most of the songs, there were several sing-a-longs encouraged by Roberts, quieting the band to let the fans join the show. Loud ovations were not surprising for the classics like “Don’t Walk Away Eileen” and “Taj Mahal” as well and many joining in.
All in all another awesome Sam Roberts concert, with great tunes and great crowd, Sam is currently on a four date tour in the Maritimes and will be making stops in St. John’s, Halifax, and Charlottetown on this jaunt through the East.
Thanks to Casino NB, Adam Baldwin, Sam Roberts, and PPRL for another night of great music.