Saturday, March 27, 2010

Dion Roy - February 19, 2010


As much as I love attending large rock shows, at arenas and stadiums, there is something very soothing about seeing an artist perform at a small club or bar. There is an intimacy there that cannot be matched anywhere else. That is why when Dion Roy announced a club show, on his birthday, less than an hour from my house, I jumped at the chance to go.

The Crossroads is a great place to see a local act live. There is a nice small stage set up for the performers. The acoustics in the room are solid. With a maximum occupancy of 200, this is a very intimate setting for a live musical performance. The stage is quaint. There is just enough room for four performers to stand on it (with a drum kit). If the band wants to move around a lot, they are going to have to leave the stage to do it.

Dion Roy was performing with 3 other acts, but his was the one that I wanted to see. Having been a fan since last summer’s release of Gallery, I had been meaning to see Dion live. This was an excellent opportunity for me to do just that.

Taking the stage early in the night (as he was the first act) and standing alongside his partner, Pete Mere, Dion kicked off the set with a brand new song called Long Way Down. Incredible. I thought Gallery was chock full of exceptional material, but Long Way Down was an excellent tune, and I’m hopeful that it will be released in some format in the near future.

Come Back Around quickly followed and found most of the crowd (all sitting near the stage, all fans of Dion Roy) singing along word for word, myself included. The song sounded great live. With the two acoustic guitars giving a solid performance, it was a pleasure to listen to.

My favorite Dion Roy song came next, You Can’t Take. This is a powerful song and in the live setting it was even greater. The twin guitar attack, Dion’s solid vocals, and intimacy of the atmosphere all blended together to make this song an amazing experience. You Can’t Take was the first Dion Roy song that stayed with me and it’s one of his best, so I was extremely grateful to hear it live.

Dirty Hotel Scenery was another new song that Dion performed on that night. While I love his debut album Gallery (as made apparent by the fact that it was in my top 10 last year), the new songs were outstanding. They really made me yearn for another Dion Roy release as soon as possible, which is what they were supposed to do, I guess.

The set closed out with Wants It, a great track from Gallery. Since he was the first act to go on, Dion Roy had a short and sweet performance that left me wanting more. If he comes around to the area again (which I’m sure he will), I will be attending another show, hopefully a headliner’s set so I can enjoy a longer performance.

As for the new stuff, well, there are rumors that it will be out in some form very soon. I can’t wait for that. I would love to have those songs to enjoy on a regular basis. If you have the chance to see Dion Roy in concert, do yourself a favor and go. It is an intimate, pleasurable music experience that you are bound to enjoy.

Setlist
Long Way Down
Come Back Around
You Can’t Take
Won’t Go On
Dirty Hotel Scenery
Wants It

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