Headstones rocks Ottawa stage for two-night show, with special guests Arcana Kings

An early winter storm might have been raging outside the doors of Ottawa’s Bronson Centre, but inside it was dark, sweaty and loud – all in a good way, because celebrated singer turned actor-producer Hugh Dillon was in the house with fellow Headstones members for the first of two O-town shows on the Flight Risk tour!

If this was your first Headstones concert, it probably didn’t take long to realize that it ain’t your Aunt Minnie’s tea party. Who knew that the f-word could be used in so many different variations? The majority of hard-core fans who crowded into the standing room only part of the concert hall, however, were not only unfazed by Dillon’s performance antics, they were eating it up.

Dillon and the boys on stage fed off the crowd’s energy right from their opening hit, “Flight Risk,” off their newly-released album of the same name, and then grew it peak levels with each new song, including “Tweeter and the Monkey Man,” the more mellow “Tangled” and, of course, “F*ck You,” which Dillon introduced as a Christmas song and quickly got the whole house joining in for the rousing chorus.

It’s no doubt that Dillon rules the stage, and we are his willing subjects. From the moment the house lights lit up the bright red block letters spelling HEADSTONES, Dillon set to breaking every boundary by flipping the bird to media photographers, throwing plastic cups into the audience, and striding into the thick of the crowd, his crew trailing closely behind with a long-corded mic that Dillon wore like a velvet red cloak of a king. At one point, Dillon paused partway through a song to cheer on one fella crowd surfing in a wheelchair, who was heard crying out “I’ve waited 20 years for this!” Much to the pleasure of concertgoers, Dillon often pushed himself and his standing mic so far off the tip of the stage, it must have seemed like he was floating above the crowd.

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Headstones perform at Bronson Centre. Photo by Rob ClairmontThe night had to end, as every great performance must, and the Headstones chose to do it with “Cemetery,” off their 1993 debut album “Picture of Health.” It’s no surprise that the Headstones’ return to the concert circuit after a hiatus from 2003-2011 is sweeping the punk rock music scene with a vengeance. Their sound is ageless, magically transporting many of us back to the glory days, hiding away in parents’ basements or smoking up in darkened alleys well past curfew. Even Dillon, peering into the roomful of faces, remarked that it’s like he’s been seeing all of us for decades, before exclaiming “We are back in business!” to an blanket of cheers.

Those who may lament that real rock ‘n roll disappeared in the 90s need not worry. The evening wouldn’t disappoint the multitude who thronged through snow-packed streets to uncork the weekend with the wild musical ride that Headstones offered. It was clear from the thunderous energy pulsating in every corner of the hall that fans are loving the comeback of the band with punk-rock roots from Kingston, Ontario.

More high-octane twists awaited attendees, namely with the impressive show opener by Arcana Kings, who reel you in with their surprisingly addictive blend of rock, pop and punk, with bagpipe accompaniment. Yes, bagpipes! Hailing from Nelson, British Columbia with Scottish heritage, lead vocalist and bagpiper Johnny McCuaig has had music in his blood since birth. The band known currently as Arcana Kings actually goes way back to 1998, when it was called simply McCuaig. Arcana Kings earned their spot on the Flight Risk tour by responding to the Headstones’ call for homegrown talent to open for the band in their own city. With Arcana King’s submission, Headstones promptly cancelled the contest, offering them the entire tour. From the audience response, it seems to have been a good decision.

Arcana Kings’ opening set was handpicked mainly from their 2019 debut album, “Lions as Ravens,” but they teased the audience with “Soldier On,” a song to be released in 2023. Written as a way to support soldiers with PTSD, the song’s powerful lyrics reflect the experiences of Canadian service men and women. If you’re also a CFL fan, you may have recognized the single, “Here We Go,” as the song that heralds the arrival of Saskatchewan Roughriders players onto the field at home games.

Ensuring that the crowd was well fired up for the Headstones, Arcana Kings closed their set with a cover of AC/DC’s hit, “It’s a Long Way to the Top (if you wanna rock ‘n roll)” which, quite appropriately, combines bagpipes with classic electric rock sounds. For an emerging band that recently played its 100^th show in Vegas, it was a song that speaks to the heart and soul of every artist with a passion for performing live music.

The 17-show Flight Risk tour ends in Toronto on December 22, 2022.

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