Steven Page Trio Plays Intimate Show at McGillivray’s Landing
Review by Sidney Ulakovic, Photos by Darren McChristie
This past November, Steven Page set the record straight, putting an end to a vicious rumour that has plagued him for decades: despite what people may believe, Barenaked Ladies are not responsible for burning down Coyotes back in the 90s. This, and many other quirky revelations, characterized the Steven Page Trio’s show in Thunder Bay, the second stop in their eight-city Northwestern Ontario tour.
The show was presented by the Sleeping Giant Folk Music Society from their new venue at Fort William Historical Park. The stage was set at McGillivray’s Landing as the room of over 200 attendees settled into their seats awaiting the band’s arrival onstage. The trio, consisting of Steven Page (formerly of Barenaked Ladies), Craig Northey (formerly of Odds) and Kevin Fox arrived decked out in their Sunday best, exuding an aura of professionalism. From the outfits to the first few notes played, it was abundantly clear these were seasoned musicians.
The trio weren’t strictly business, however, and it showed as members of the audience swayed in their seats through the opening songs of their set, with a few people at the back of the room standing up to dance along. While there was an absence of percussion onstage, nothing felt missing between the way Page’s voice filled the room, the rich texture added from Fox’s cello, the chemistry between Page and Northey as guitar players, and the accompanying vocals from Fox and Northey rounding out their sound.
Coupled with the venue, Page’s humour and storytelling between songs made the evening feel very intimate and garnered a lot of laughter from the audience. It was as though the smaller scale of the show gave the band permission to allow the audience a few steps further into their world, joking around like old friends. Although all three members have had prolific careers, it was apparent that this is a group that doesn’t take themselves too seriously as they riffed off each other’s banter and energy throughout their performance.
The band played for two hours from a setlist that spanned Page’s career and beyond. Songs ranged from the trio’s new album Excelsior, Page-era Barenaked Ladies fan favourites, and a tongue-in-cheek acoustic medley of covers from Creedence Clearwater Revival to Kiss. As the show drew closer to the end, Page admitted he wasn’t sure what to expect playing a show of this size in Thunder Bay, but that the evening certainly exceeded his expectations. The audience evidently felt the same way, with the enthusiasm in the room reaching its peak as the set closed and brought everyone to their feet, demanding an encore and making it fair to say that this time Page and company are in fact responsible for bringing down the house.
