Oh baby, look how far we've come!
Four years ago we saw the Arkells on stage at Toronto's CNE, and they did a hell of a job entertaining the crowd. Saturday night we saw the pride of Hamilton on the WayBright stage at WayHome 2016 and holy shit did they ever one up themselves.
Going into the set we knew things were going to be bigger than anything the boys had done in the past. We knew it because they told us themselves when we sat down with Max and Mike in the woods. Max told us that we wanted to dance more than he used to... and he did. And he told us that the band would be introducing a horn section and back-up singers... and they did that too. But when we asked them what the difference between the stage shows then and the stage shows now is, one of the biggest things they mentioned was the crowd knowing the songs and singing along.
Here's the thing, we sat and talked to the guys, and then at 8:15 we were at the WayBright stage to catch the show. And while it's usually pretty easy to weave a post together to share with you guys, this one feels different. The Arkells were so good, so explosive, so energetic, so ready for the moment that we have to talk about that and then get to the other stuff.
1) Max was on fire!
AND he crowd surfed as he sang. The dude climbed down off the stage during A Little Rain and perched himself on the barrier, and then as he held the mic and sang he leaned back and let the crowd pull him in a few rows, balancing on hands and trying to hold notes. It was the kind of moment that you hope every band gets - and Max got it.
2) The whole band was in top shape!
Anthony killed his solo on the keys - and the crowd responded with the loudest cheer I've ever heard for a keyboard anything. Mike did his share of the guitar work and more as Max wandered and danced... and though they joked about it before the show, he didn't look like it bothered him one single bit.
But don't think that Nick and Tim weren't also in a groove! The boys holding down the rhythm and bass ran a tight ship that kept the whole machine in motion. And that machine sounded as tight as anyone on stage this weekend.
3) Northern Soul Horns & The Arkettes!
That horn section Mike and Max told us about, they were freaking fantastic. They busted out some Jackie Wilson and The Jackson Five, just to give us all a taste of what they had to offer. And when it was time to just play along with the band and fill in the sound, they were all over that too. It worked. It really worked.
Then we get to The Arkettes... these two ladies busted out My Girl in such perfect form that the security guard closest to me broke out in her biggest smile of the damn day. Their voices complimented the Arkells' tracks every chance they got - and they looked like they were having just as much fun as the rest of the band up on that stage.
4) They covered The Hip!
In this year of The Tragically Hip's unfortunate farewell tour we are learning more and more about how much Gord Downie and the band mean to everyone around us, and to ourselves. So when the boys played Music At Work and the crowd cheered and danced and Max strutted and waved his arms and damn near channeled Gord himself as the song went on. The note in my book from that moment says one simple thing: People are so happy.
Leading into the festival we told Matt and Kim that they'd be winners with the crowd if they played The Hip, nobody had to tell the Arkells. They know how much the music means to them, and how much it means to everyone that was in the crowd on WayHome day 2.
5) All of the singing along!
I know we're only two days into a three day festival, and all kinds of great things are going to happen on Sunday... but so far we haven't seen any set get more singing along than the Arkells got. People sang choruses and verses and call and answers and they were loud. Well mostly they were loud, Max did have to ask for a little more volume once, but it didn't happen twice.
Back in the woods they said the biggest difference was that people knew the words now... those people proved it.
The last thing I brought up during our chat in the woods was the Jonah Keri podcast from May 2016. Max and Nick were caught by Jonah on their tour bus on a stop in Denver. It was a cool little baseball meets rock and roll listen that made me happy and kind of brought interests together. If you love either the Arkells (they tell some good stories and give cool insight) or Jonah and how he conducts interviews - give it a listen!
Note: I also asked how that club tour went, and it seems to have been great. The boys said that the new cities they hit were a lot of fun, and the shows they put on in cities like Boston and DC were the best they'd had in the States yet.
The Arkells were all over the stage on Saturday night - but one of my favourite moments came near the end when the music stopped just long enough for the band to come together and take a photo of the crowd with peace signs up in the air. It was fleeting and sweet, and it worked.
When they're around next ( click here and check) get a ticket and see the new show. It might not be WayHome big - but it's going to be WayHome good!
Arkells WayHome 2016 Setlist
Michigan Left
Never Thought That This Would Happen
11:11
Drake's Dad
Oh, The Boss Is Coming!
Pulling Punches
Private School
Music At Work
Whistleblower
Leather Jacket
