Nearly an entire month into the new year – January 31st – I saw Half Moon Run and Taylor Janzen at TD Place in Ottawa. I’ve seen HMR numerous times, the first being in either 2010 or 2011 opening for Of Monsters and Men at Virgin Festival in Montreal. It was pouring rain, and I instantly loved their music.
Since then, I’ve seen them in small venues, opening for bands, at outdoor festivals, and even a secret show. This was their first sold out stadium tour, and I kept marvelling at how this band that I’d been seeing at a small scale and following for years had seemingly suddenly become a big name act. It was lovely to see this groups of men get the recognition I personally think they’ve always deserved.
Winnipeg artist Taylor Janzen opened the night, an artist I hadn’t heard before. I immediately loved the tone of her voice, and the joking, fun relationship she had with her band, introducing each member along with a small joke about them. She played a few not yet released songs, that I’m now eagerly awaiting so I can add them to my most played playlist.
Half Moon Run took the stage shortly after, and had the crowd singing along to nearly every song. Still baffled at the size of the crowd, I enjoyed every second of their set. They’ve always had a really fun stage charisma – dancing around with their instruments and engaging with the crowd in unique ways. A good mix of older songs as well as songs from their newly released album played out the night, with a lot of fog and lights to accompany. Most notably, there was actually a symphony of strings featured on stage with them. I’ve always been a sucker for strings.
Not surprisingly, I left that night on a total high. It’d been over a month since I’d been to show – something that always makes me a bit testy – and I’d been completely enthralled by one of my favourite bands. No doubt in my mind that come the next tour cycle, I’ll be in the ever growing crowd, happily singing along and remembering the first time I heard them play.
The Concert Chronicles 