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Back in the ’90’s touring single-day festivals were pretty popular. It probably started with Lollapalooza, I don’t know, but Blues Traveler got in the game with the H.O.R.D.E Festival (I suspect that is an acronym for something), and when they pulled into Toronto on July 28th, 1998 I was all over it.
The lineup was right up my alley so I took in as much as I could. I believe the day started with Gov’t Mule, a band I could not get enough of when Allen Woody was alive and a band I have not seen since he passed in 2000. Of course the band is all about Warren Haynes but for me the bouncy constant eighth notes coming from the dude who looked more roadie than rocker was the main attraction. His style was so simple, obvious almost, and I can’t think of anyone else that played the bass that way.
They were playing on the side stage and I was surrounded by friends from all over Ontario. I was pretty close to the band on stage left (Woody side) and really enjoyed the set; it was a great start to the day.
On my way to the main stage after their set I encountered Jim and Andy Creeggan with a small gaggle of teenaged girls surrounding Jim. As the bass player from the Barenaked Ladies was answering questions that probably included his favourite colour and if he ever met a Backstreet Boy I sidled up to Jim’s brother Andy Creeggan, standing quietly on the sidelines. He had left the band a year or two before and was already immune to being recognised by the young BNL fans.
“Hey,” I said to him, extending my hand, “I’m a big fan.”
“Are you sure?” he said to me, somewhat derisively.
I was shocked into silence by this response, my extended hand left hanging.
Aside from being a BNL fan since before the hamburger tape, indeed since the band was just an unsigned duo and a friend of theirs who was on my floor in university residence dubbed me their demo tape, I was especially a fan of the Creeggans. I had both Brothers Creeggan albums (they’ve since released two more), and I bet I’m one of very few people on the planet that doesn’t know him personally that owns Andy Creeggan’s solo album Andiwork, a collection (it seems) of projects and assignments he was making as a music student in Montreal.
So, yeah, I was a fan.
I kind of get it in retrospect. He probably thought that I saw the girls talking to his brother and just assumed that this guy standing there was also in the band when in fact he had left a year or two before. Andy probably thought I was thinking “that guy surrounded by teenage girls is obviously famous, maybe his friend is too.”
I really wish I had said something like “I love Andiwork, how are things at McGill?” but in reality I internally questioned whether or not this guy was who I thought he was, and before my jaw lost it’s agapeness the two of them had strolled away.
It’s too bad, I was currently booking shows in Ottawa and was hoping to bring the Creeggan’s to town.
Anyway, the BNL set was great, it was only my second time seeing them and they were on top of their fame, with One Week right at the top of the charts, even stateside.
I have no recollection whatsoever of Ben Harper’s set, but I’ve seen him so many times I can assure myself if I caught his set at this show it would have been heartfelt, honest, and probably quite brilliant, with a healthy dose of great lap steel playing on his awesome collection of vintage Wiessenborn guitars.
The evening’s hosts closed out the evening well. John Popper is such a remarkable talent on the harmonica (not to mention his strong vocal style) that he could make stars out of a band of hacks, but no, instead he found himself a band of good players with chops of their own in Blues Traveler. That said, Popper is the obvious focus and why not? The guy plays harmonica like he’s Charlie Parker.
And you can’t say that about many other harp players.
It’s too bad the package tour thing fell out of fashion (for some reason I blame Lilith Fair III), but in it’s wake came festival after festival, and that’s not a bad substitute.
Todd Man Out 