Cuddy Cavalcade

He may have a “Skyscraper Soul” but his
music continues to reach new heights. Jim Cuddy came to Calgary on March 1 and
brought with him, in his own words, a “cavalcade of stars.” Cuddy
gave plenty of space to his two sons who featured in two or more songs each.
They are up-and-coming musicians who will blaze their own trail, but the proud
father has given them a platform to allow the Canadian public to get to know
them. They show great promise. Barney Bentall was also brought on stage to join
the Jim Cuddy Band for a few songs and added much to the show.

Cuddy did a great job of featuring his new
album as well as playing old standards from his Blue Rodeo music. The new music
was sufficiently familiar to the audience as each concert ticket sold included
a digital download of the album “Constellation.” I might have liked to
see a few more songs from Light That
Guides You Home and Skyscraper Soul,
but the Calgary audience was pleased with his Blue Rodeo selections. I was
continually impressed by the level of professionalism of The Jim Cuddy Band.
They are an outstanding collection of musicians who bring their best to the
game at every concert and they were a pleasure to watch. Anne Lindsay, the only
female member of the band, is a virtuoso violinist, and Colin Cripps and Bazil
Donovan (both members of Blue Rodeo) are musicians with many years of studio
and road experience.

Jim Cuddy is a Canadian treasure whose
music stands the test of time. The concert was one of the best I have ever
seen.

Favourite Moment:
Anne Lindsay featured in the song
“Five Days in May.” Lindsay (violin), Steve O’Conner (keyboard), and Colin
Cripps (guitar) filled in the parts that one would have thought might be
missing without Greg Keelor on this amazing Blue Rodeo song.