It’s kind of impossible to see Wolf Parade and not like what they’re playing for you. The band has a hell of a back catalogue with only three full releases. Each year they put out an album, it makes it onto my top 10 (will it make it this year? Stay tuned!).
I’ll admit that I went to this concert with low expectations. Having listened to Expo 86, the album hadn’t hooked me right from the get-go. That’s an odd thing to happen for a catchy band like Wolf Parade. With that lack of excitement for a new album combined with the choice to play at one of my most loathed venues saw me opt to skip it.
Then the call came from a friend who had to bail on the concert, but wondered if I would take his girlfriend. Let’s just say there’s absolutely no way chivalry can die if there’s a chance you will see some live music.
Enough with the setting, on with the music!
First I will say that bands playing in venues like the Sound Academy are always up against it. Poor sound quality, an all-ages crowd, and the large trek out to the docks can make the happiest person sour (full disclosure: I’m a grump on the best of days). None of these issues factored into the show.
The Montreal rockers came out swinging. They launched into crowd pleasers from their old albums before testing the water with Expo. That was a wise move, because by the time they got into the new stuff I was ready to listen and I loved what I heard. Any time a band convinces you to give a record another spin, my hat goes off to them.
As the gig went on, you could see the band was a little battle weary after a long tour. Both Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug made multiple references to the fact this was the last stop. One of them even went as far as to say this would be their last show in a while. Not THAT surprising knowing how busy they keep on side projects. But then came the bombshell…
Back on for an encore, Boeckner asked both the crowd and the bouncers to play nice so all could stay and hear their last song. I believe the wording was something along the lines of “this is going to be our last song ever.” That’s a disconcerting comment to throw out there! After playing Kissing the Beehive, Boeckner walked up to Krug and hugged him before leaving the stage. I was feeling pretty low at this point. Had we just seen the last of Wolf Parade?
We of course know now that they’re not finished, but instead are going on an indefinite hiatus. What exactly that means isn’t too clear. They’ll play Sasquatch next year and then take off on their own side projects once more. But while both Handsome Furs and the Sunset Rubdown make good music, I always think they get the best of each other as Wolf Parade.
For now, I’m just glad I got to enjoy this final-ish outing. If by luck alone.
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