I was lucky enough to catch a show last week. Where I live (Montreal, Quebec) there isn’t much of a country music scene, so I always try to make it to see any country acts coming out my way. I missed the opportunity to see Kathleen last year, but I made sure I would be there this time.
The venue was small but I was one of the first in, so I choose a spot right over the stage. I was joined by another concert goer whose friend didn’t show up and we started chatting about our music tastes. I thourougly enjoyed her company, and we both found we had similar tastes. I had to ask her about the opening act Justin Rutledge, since I wasn’t familliar with his work.
When Justin came on stage and started singing I knew right there and then that I’d be going home with no money. Right after his show was over and they were getting the stage ready for Kathleen, I rushed to buy his records at the merchandise stand. That’s one of the main reasons I love opening acts, sometimes you may find something new.
Then Kathleen came on. I was in my glory, because she came out singing one of my favorite songs “Mercury”. She continued to play all the fan favorites as well as some of the not so well known songs from her collection. In between songs she would tell little stories. Like right before “Scared At Night” she explanied where the verse about her father shooting the cat came from. Another cute story she told us was about how they’re planning to film a video for “I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory” which she’ll have to kiss Marty McSorley, her guitarist/husband pretended to be offened.
There was one point about 3/4 of the way through where somebody fell asleep with their head on a speaker. I couldn’t even begin to wonder how he could sleep on one of those amps, and neither could Kathleen apparently, because she told his girlfriend to wake him up. She then questioned how he could be asleep on the amp when Kathleen can’t even stand near one (If you’ve ever been near one you know what she means). During the next song she went near the guy and made sure he was paying attention.
It was a fun show, and Kathleen definatley has a stage presence. She never lost the crowd (save for the guy who fell asleep), and I’d recommend her to anybody who likes good music. She’s the perfect blend of country, rock and folk. I’d put it in my top five concerts.
