Concert Review: Elbow, John Grant @ The Danforth Music Hall

By: Mehek Seyid (@whatthemehek) –

Elbow. (Photo: Jason Hodgins/Aesthetic Magazine Toronto)

It is a real privilege to see UK-based Elbow live, not only because of the band’s veteran artistry in a live setting, but also because the performance is just so much fun. Last night’s sold-out affair at the Danforth Music Hall evoked smiles across the audience in response to lead singer Guy Garvey’s warmly hilarious monologues, the joyful engagement of the audience, and the band’s perfect performance.

The band’s set started as Garvey strolled up to the microphone, cup in hand, to greet the Toronto audience before leading the way into “Charge”, a song from their recently released sixth studio album The Take Off and Landing of Everything. Garvey asked patrons seated in the upper deck of the Music Hall to say hello to the guests on the main level, and vice-versa, and remarked “there, we all know each other”, the first of many gestures that ensured a comfortable and intimate environment during the show. When he introduced “New York Morning”, a song that captures the Big Apple’s inspiring spirit, he teased that perhaps Toronto would earn a song written about the city, depending on how the crowd behaved.

Fans were completely entranced by Elbow: when Garvey requested that they raise their arms and wiggle their spirit fingers, or guitarist Mark Potter encouraged dancing with his infectious guitar rhythms on “Fly Boy Blue/Lunette”, they enthusiastically participated. More often than not, however, blankets of awe-stunned silence fell over the crowd. Elbow’s repertoire of long, soft-Britpop ballads beg for a keen ear to appreciate the varying musical components, including the violinists that bestow songs with a classical feel. It is difficult to stay removed after the pristine impact of drummer Richard Jupp’s delicate percussion on “Real Life (Angel)”, or to resist being immersed in keyboardist Craig Potter’s atmospheric notes on “My Sad Captains”.

Guy Garvey’s vocals ultimately tie these elements together with a  vocal scope so magnanimous that it struck awe at his capabilities. He exercised incredible control during crescendos, and demonstrated the varied range as proven throughout Elbow’s recording career. Although he and the band maintained consistency throughout the evening, they were truly in their prime during renditions of songs from their 2008 Mercury Music Prize-winning album, The Seldom Seen Kid, which included “The Bones of You” and “The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver”. Before serenading the crowd with the romantic “Mirrorball”under the disco ball hung overhead, Garvey suggested to a couple on their first date that they should get close to one another in a serene and beautiful moment.

The well-crafted live show proved the full extent to which Elbow exert care and perfection on their catalogue of gorgeous, often melancholic music; it is surprising that the band have not broken into North American stadiums aside from their opening slot on Coldplay’s Viva La Vida tour a few years ago. The live experience of  “Grounds for Divorce” stands out as particularly memorable on  its own, as the roaring chorus and crashing drums energized the audience to move and sing louder than during any other song during the nearly two-hour long set.

“You’re so fucking cool, Toronto,” Garvey commented with a wide smile during their encore. The crowd reciprocated this sentiment as they harmonized to “Build a rocket boys” during “Lippy Kids”, as if willing the band to stay on the stage longer. It was apparent that no one was  ready to say goodbye during the uplifting “One Day Like This”, as they threw their arms in the air and sang the lyrics, “Throw those curtains wide / One day like this a year would see me right”, over and over again. Those words rang true for all in attendance at last night’s show, their souls filled up a bit more.

John Grant, the lead singer of Denver-based The Czars performed his uniquely humorous, yet emotional, solo music during his opening set for Elbow. “Well, I am a cheerful fucker,” Grant commented to break the ice with the Toronto audience before he launched into “Where Dreams Go To Die”. While many were unfamiliar with Grant’s work, they were very responsive to his honest lyrics and soft sound, and fans of The Czars who arrived early were treated to a performance of “Paint the Moon” during his half-hour set.

Check out our photos here.