NAC Celebrates Autumn with Bruce Cockburn’s Bone on Bone Tour

This has got to be the best way to start a new Autumn season. Thirty degrees (Celcius), sunny skies and Bruce Cockburn Bone on Bone tour with opener Terra Lightfoot at Ottawa’s National Art’s Centre.

Terra found a brief 30 minutes to engross the audience with her bluesy-folk melodies that carried with them a voice I can’t seem to get enough of. While listening, I hear life reflection and personal experience in her lyrics as with any good folk music, but there is definitely an underlying strength in her voice…

Given that Terra has only been gracing the stage for a couple years, the anticipation of what is going to come next is exhilarating to contemplate.

Without a doubt, we will be hearing more from Terra Lightfoot. For the moment however, you can pick up her latest single: Paradise or either of her two studio albums at all the usual places.

Twenty minutes after Terra left the stage, Bruce Cockburn walked on to a standing ovation.

If you have never heard a Bruce Cockburn song – you are clearly living under a large grey, lichen covered rock.

Bruce ran through a number of old fan favourites like ‘Lovers in a Dangerous Time’, ‘False River’ and ‘If I had a Rocket Launcher’, but the best part – after a music career spanning 40+ years and somewhere in the neighbourhood of 30 albums, Bruce is still releasing new material.

At about the half-way mark, the audience was treated to a three and a half minute, haunting instrumental title track from his latest release: Bone on Bone. It has a few twists that I was not quite sure I liked hearing, but after listening to the entirety of the instrumental I realise how intriguing the entire piece was. If you like guitars, playing or listening – you need to hear this.

The lights and backdrop for the show was dynamic enough to keep things mildly interesting if your focus began to wander a bit. There were some emanating waves of light that looked somewhat like watery reflections and strobes that kept the stage interesting to watch – even from the rear of the theatre.

A few songs later, Bruce and his band was treated to another standing ovation and they came out to complete the night with an encore. Shortly after, he spent some time autographing CDs, vinyl and his new book.

One last thing – I feel that I have to give thanks to the communications staff at the National Arts Centre. They have always been gracious any time I have been there and always so helpful – so, thank-you.

Until next time…

Photo’s and article by Dale Sinclair with some editing help by Leann Kennedy. You can find Dale on the interwebs at dalesinclair.ca and Facebook @dalesinclairphoto.