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On November 26th, 1998 I saw the Rheostatics for the first time (or did I see them at one of The Hip’s Another Roadside Attraction tours? If so, I was standing ankle deep in a muddy rainstorm and clearly distracted). The show was at Barrymore’s, Ottawa ritzy-turned-grungy theatre venue that has since turned into a pale version of it’s past self, hosting DJ’s and retro ’90’s nights and nothing more.
But back in the day Barrymore’s was the goto spot for great bands that had yet to (or no longer could) fill arenas. And as such, I goto’d it quite often.
I remember this show very well. I was standing on the old, threadbare red carpet on the first level above the dancefloor with several friends, and the band just tore us apart. The Rheos were one of those bands that really put themselves out there on stage, which could make for some amazing, ethereal concerts (and some really rough ones, to be fair), and this was one of the really good ones.
I can still see Martin Tielli up there just absolutely wailin’ on his little Steinberger guitar (or was it Dave Bidini that played the Steinberger?), but that’s only a fraction of what made this show so great. I think the artiness of the Rheostatics is just enough to pull me in, without the whiny overtones of an art-rock band like Radiohead to screw it up.
It’s actually a bit surprising to me that I didn’t become a member of the band’s extremely rabid fanbase after this show. If I had, I probably wouldn’t have disliked the next Rheostatics show I saw just next to Barrymore’s at Zaphod’s II a couple of years later quite as much.
I was so bored at that one I walked out halfway through.
Music is funny that way. So am I, I guess.
Todd Man Out 