The first handful of times I saw Dallas Green play live was with his other incarnation, Alexisonfire. The last couple of times he’s swung through Denver, it’s been with his new project City and Colour (get it, his name is both a city and a colour, British/Canadian spelling mind you).
As he’s mentioned in numerous interviews as well as at the Denver show, he initially didn’t believe there was much of a demand for his solo work outside of his native Canada where he is quickly becoming royalty. As evidence to the contrary, his sold out tour opening for Tegan and Sara,and his current sold out headlining tour, the demand for C&C is through the roof.
As the angelic voice for Alexisonfire, Dallas blended into the band’s overall brute force. With City and Colour he allows us to peer more deeply into his psyche as an artist and listen to his work on a much more personal level.
The warm, diverse crowd at the Bluebird was a welcoming atmosphere compared to the frozen tundra outside. The folky acoustic punk of William Elliott Whitmore warmed and relaxed the crowd, before City and Colour’s own Haris Cehajic led the crowd on a sing-a-long rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
As City and Colour took the stage we immediately became one as Dallas quickly removed the ever-present fourth wall. His funny, quick-witted interactions with the crowd and relaxed vibe between songs put everyone at ease, making for a more intimate experience, a more genuine, less contrived episode of VH1’s Storytellers if you will.
While his bandmates joined him for most of the selections, he sometimes flew solo for songs. They provided an array of songs for the crowd, playing some old tunes, a few covers including my personal fave, Madonna’s “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore,” and of course, songs from the new record, Bring Me Your Love, including standouts like “Waiting” and “Body in a Box.”
It was a phenomenal show and Dallas is a professional through and through, yet he maintains a very approachable, down-to-earth attitude. I didn’t expect anything less, and only expect more as his voice and songwriting ability sharpens with age.
