From the first WayHome artist lineup announcement, Vance Joy was sitting at the top of my list. There was something about him, something sweet and charming, authentic and compelling. Ok, at least I thought there was based on his videos. It never occurred to me that it wouldn’t translate in real life and I wasn’t disappointed.
Vance took to the WayBright stage at 8:30 on Sunday nigh with a big smile on his face and like the rest of his band, it rarely left. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I love a happy musician. Those genuine smiles that come from them appreciating us.
The connection Vance had with the crowd was palpable. He played off the Dream Your Life Away album, threw in a cover, The Chain, by Fleetwood Mac and he treated us to a brand new song, Fire in the Flood. It’s fantastic and you should go check it out. But nothing compared to the final song. We’d all been waiting for it and he knew it. Vance brought out the ukulele for Riptide and when we sang along he appreciatively responded with a “You guys are fucking loud”, and we were.
Vance Joy was , by far, one of my favorite performances of the weekend. There’s no question WayHome put together an amazing list of varied artists, mixing genres and mixing people in a way Ontario has never seen. Nicely played Republic Live, nicely played.
