The New Constellations Tour Wows Ottawa

It was a packed house on Friday night at Ottawa’s Bronson Centre, and as the snow fell, a fire burning inside the performance hall.

The auditorium that has been host to many unique and powerful musical events, was now host to one largely unlike any other before it, as the Canadian musical experiment “The New Constellations Tour” brought it’s unique brand of engaging storytelling through song and poetry to a sold out audience that was eager to eat it up.

Kicking off the event with indigenous throat singers, followed by co-host and Canadian songwriting virtuoso Jason Collett swooning us all with a stripped down acoustic rendition of “Bitter Beauty,” we could tell just fifteen minutes into this all-star spectacular that we were in for something unlike any other concert experience we were likely to find this holiday season.

Whether it was Jim Bryson breaking our hearts in between humorous stage banter and charming self-deprecation, as he song songs about being “stuck here in the middle” and “constellations,” or it was famed Montreal band
Stars performing a song from the “Secret Path” album in honour of Gord Downie, mainstream Canadiana was on full display.

However, it was so much of the aboriginal-inspired music that really stole the show. From legendary first nation’s electronica artists A Tribe Called Red teaming up with Canadian hip hop icon Shad to bring their “Halluci-Nation” to hungry Ottawa audience, or it was Polaris Music Prize winner Lido Pimienta reminding us that indigenous women come from all backgrounds as she performed her own brand of Columbian-based hypnotic electronica, to poets reminding us that “this one is for the toos’, so be too fucking loud,” the New Constellations Tour did more than bring culture to a snowy capital city.

In fact, it mesmerized us, and drowned us with culture.

An audience moved to tears by spoken word poet Leanne Betasamosake Simpson and her band performing “Always Under Your Own Light” in tribute to the missing and murdered indigenous women of Canada, was equally enamoured by the multi-talented Jeremy Dutcher singing beautifully from his piano as he played backing tracks of tribe leaders telling stories. Iraqi-Canadian hip hop artist Narcy brought his political message of “World War Free,” while Broken Social Scene’s ‘La Force’ captivated us through songs in both official languages.

Indeed, this showcase was versatile if anything. Full of hope, humour and humility. As far as celebrating our diversity and multiculturalism goes, New Constellations is owed some consideration as it powers to a city near you.

In fact, you owe it to yourself to get lost in the songs and stories. Trust me, it will be money well spent. For more information visit: https://www.newconstellations.ca/

More photos