An Intimate Evening with Sean McCann

The title of the event was exactly as it promised to be – intimate. Sean McCann created a personal and sincere atmosphere that the audience adored right up to the final encore.

Sean opened with a solo, vocal performance standing, not on the stage, but directly in front of the first row. No mic, no instruments, just his voice. This nicely set the tone for the remainder of the show.

There is no question Sean is a master of the stage; he was able to engage the audience from beginning to end. Of course this was brought down to a more personal level given the audience numbered close to 150 people.

The first set of the night included a number of songs, but the one that stood out for me was Red Wine and Whiskey which eventually turned into a mixed compilation of songs including Red Red Wine and the Banana Boat Song… this has to be seen. So without a doubt, Sean carried some humour in his show and a bit of a guessing game with his co performer Chris Murphy.

For the first set, Chris was not always sure what instrument he should be picking up to match whatever it was Sean was going to play next. Chris still did a splendid job and he absolutely amazed me with the number of instruments he played throughout the performance.

Humour aside, Sean has clearly taken on a new agenda where he promotes good mental well being within his songs and personal life. If the title of his latest release Help Your Self isn’t a give away, songs like Stronger and This Life is an Ocean of Love cinch it.

The second set of the night had Sean and Chris playing some Great Big Sea titles, such as Old Brown’s Daughter and Ordinary Day.

Oh! If you weren’t already aware, Sean is one of the founding members of Great Big Sea. It was not exactly an amicable split, but he has since comes to grips with his anger over the breakup and partying life that Great Big Sea encouraged.

So, much of Sean’s new music reflects his latest take on life. It’s all about treating yourself with respect.

Then the night wrapped up with an encoure of Mary-Mac. All things considered, it is a fun song and a great way to end a show.

You can find more Sean McCann here- https://www.facebook.com/GreatBigSean/ and here- http://www.seanmccannsings.com/.

For more Chris Murphy, go here: http://www.chrismurphy.ca/.

A note about the venue:

The venue itself, the Studio Theatre in Perth, only sits 200, but has amazing acoustics, the staff is wonderful and they have an assortment of plays featuring local talent and great musical guests. And to boot, ticket prices seem to range from $10 (students) to $25 for most shows – of course the bigger names cost a bit more, but still very reasonable.

So, if you are ever in the mood to get out of the city – Studio Theatre would be a great stop away from the same old.

 

*Review and photos by Dale Sinclair – Facebook: @dalesinclairphoto or the www: dalesinclair.ca.