Wolf Alice10.07.25
Vancouver, BC
Wolf Alice's Blue Weekend is a great record. Not one that comes to mind immediately when thinking of dream pop, but it definitely hits. Their new record, The Clearing, doesn't really scratch that itch, given that it's more of an orchestral indie rock affair.
I hummed and hawed about catching them on this tour, since I wasn't even sure if I'd be in town for the show, knowing that I would likely be in Ottawa for Thanksgiving or the Senators' home opener. I didn't even know that a move out of Vancouver would be in the works at the time. But as plans solidified, and the move out of Vancouver became a thing, it looked like I would be around for the show after all. Tickets had long been sold out, but I managed to get one at face value a couple days ago.
Even before the show I was teetering on actually attending, with the Jays playing a crucial ALDS game three against the Yankees, on the verge of a sweep. The game ran late, and unfortunately ended in a Jays loss, but did finish in the eight o'clock hour, giving me time to walk across the street from my apartment to the Commodore. It definitely has been pretty sweet living so close to a handful of venues in Vancouver.
I was hoping to hear a bunch of cuts from Blue Weekend, even knowing it's not the album they're touring. Don't know why they didn't play "The Last Man on Earth", that's a good one, but they did play "How Can I Make It OK?" and "Lipstick on the Glass", two of my favourites. They made good use of the disco ball at the Commodore, and did play a pretty expansive set list spanning their entire discography. The final song before the encore, "Bloom Baby Bloom", was cut short when a fan near the barricade collapsed. They didn't finish the track, but did come back out for a one-song encore of "Don't Delete the Kisses". Bit of a weird note to end on.
