I Really Want To Soak Up The Sun
Sheryl. In the park. With a microphone.
The first thing I think about when I think about Sheryl Crow is probably not what she would want me to think about - that she was engaged to Lance Armstrong, and made a duet with Kid Rock. That’s a horrifying duo, and really calls her taste into question. The second thing I think of is that she once dumped Eric Clapton to start dating Owen Wilson. That not bad taste, but it’s quite the boomerang of a combination.
The third thing I thought of initially was that it was crazy that she had been a household name since the summer I was getting ready to head to university - 1993 - and I had never seen her in person. I wrote some stuff about how surprising and unlikely that was, and you’ll have to trust me that it was top rate stuff. But then the noises in my head started getting louder, and I had to explore a little bit to confirm that I was actually lying to you. I have seen her. It was in July of 1997, and I was in Camrose for what I think is the only time in my life. The Tragically Hip’s Another Roadside Attraction festival was touring for the third and final time, and this was as close to home as it got. The Canadian legends were joined by Crow, Wilco, Los Lobos and others. What I mostly remember about that show was that we were camping, but I somehow forgot both my tent and my mattress. Luckily, there was beer, so I survived the cold and uncomfortable night. Beer solves everything, kids.
I’m not just thinking of Sheryl Crow randomly, of course. Tonight she will be closing out the last show of my Stampede marathon. After too much time in tents, tonight’s grand lineup at the Oxford Stomp is thankfully outside in the sunshine in the beautiful Prince’s Island Park, which will be my home for four days later this month for Folk Fest. And what a lineup we are treated to tonight. Hotel Mira, headed up by Charlie Kerr, who is, for my money, the most impressive, and most underappreciated, ‘it’ rock star in Canada right now, is opening things up. Then, Red Deer native Danielle McTaggart leads Dear Rouge (see what they did there?) on stage. Saskatchewan heroes The Sheepdogs take the final slot before Crow. My only complaint is that Kerr and company deserve better than the opening slot, but at least their early start means I’ll be able to get up close to watch them.
The Stampede is an endurance test. This show in beautiful park on a sunny afternoon with a killer lineup is a perfect way to wrap things up - and hopefully to finish strong after what has been an inconsistent and often underwhelming set of shows so far this week.
Hotel Mira
My live music obsession is, largely, a pursuit of those moments that spice up a life and make it all worthwhile. You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find the princes (or princesses - I don't discriminate), but when you do capture something special it's like nothing else. It's an intoxicant. The good kind. Sometimes those moments are a real surprise. But then there are guys like Charlie Kerr. He's a reliable dealer. When I see him I know I'm going to see something special and unique and spectacular. He's a one of one.
Today the crowd was very sparse when he started, and a lot of those who were there didn't know him. They sure do now. It took a while to warm up - on both sides of the mic. But by the end he had a larger crowd eating out of his hands. At one point he said he needed someone to hold his hand to help him through a tough song. Fittingly, that almost caused a stampede.
I can't do him justice, so I'm not even going to try. Just know that I feel incredibly lucky to get to witness his spectacle every time I see him on stage. Very, very few have what he has. Or even a fraction of it.
Dear Rouge
There's something I've learned about live music over the years. It might be a life lesson, too. When there is a band that I love as soon as I see them then that's an instinct I can trust. They are a keeper. But if watching a band annoys me, or actively pisses me off, that doesn't mean much. Necessarily. Judgement must be reserved. Dear Rouge is a case in point. I saw them for the first time almost exactly a year ago at the Stampede. I knew, and generally liked, their stuff. But the show just didn't work for me on any level. It's like Danielle the lead singer and I were half a wavelength apart, so every time she ebbed I was looking to flow. I just didn't like anything about the experience. But tonight, for whatever incomprehensible reason, the script flipped. They were no Hotel Mira, but I was very much buying what they were selling. What seemed choreographed and devoid of authenticity last year tickled me tonight. I had a great time.
There are plenty of possible explanations. Last year's version of T.O. was perhaps a dick. She was having more fun this year. I was in a better mood. Jupiter's alignment is better. I don't know why. But whatever it was, I had a great time. And I'm a fan of this band again. Personal growth in the sunshine. Sometimes I even inspire myself.
Danielle and her husband Drew, the guitarist, were having a great time and it showed. My favorite part, though, was the bassist. When he was playing bass he faced the crowd. But he sometimes sang backup vocals or played keys. At those times he faced the back corner of the stage like he was in detention. I couldn't decide if he had done something wrong and was being punished, if he was incredibly shy about his singing face, or if he was just a projectile spitter. Regardless, it made me laugh.
The Sheepdogs
The last time I saw The Sheepdogs in concert it was a snowy day in Banff. The main street was closed down, and there was a big stage in the middle for a celebration to send the local winter Olympians off to the games in Sochi. I spent the whole night holding my son as he sat on my arm. He’s 6’3” and almost 15 now, so it’s been a while. But as the band took the stage it was like no time had passed at all. This is a band very committed to being in the 70s - in both look and sound. They are Saskatchewan’s Creedence Clearwater Revival. And they are very good at it.
I will admit that my attention to this show was not as complete as it could have been. When there are four bands on a night you have to pace yourself, and one act is inevitably going to suffer. There were friends to connect with, a vast and very well organized venue to check out, dinner to think about having, dinner ultimately not to have because I don’t tend to make responsible choices when there are music and beer involved, decisions to be made about whether I need to get a perm or make some facial hair changes inspired by the band, and so on. That all of that was done with the background of a really solid band playing away is a special kind of fortunate.
Sheryl Crow
Back when I was still thinking that this would be my first time seeing Crow, I fell into an interesting rabbit hole. Crow, it turns out, is one of eight Rock and Roll Hall of Famers that I have seen in concert (The others, for the musical geeks out there, are The Beach Boys, Tina Turner, Neil Diamond, Willie Nelson, The Foo Fighters, Booker T, and Heart.) This was a night with musical royalty. And it didn’t disappoint. She has a kind of ‘it’ that you can only have by the combination of all that talent, 35 years of big time shows, and the aura of her presence. When she took the stage you just knew you were seeing something special.
I am not sure I have ever consciously sat down and put a Sheryl Crow album on. But her songs have been part of the soundtrack of the last three decades. So it was amazing to me as I found myself singing along to 13 of the 15 songs she played in the main set because the lyrics were second nature to me. The only exceptions were a newer song I hadn’t heard, and a song from the movie Cars. I have only seen the movie once because my son never really cared about it, but the younger group in front of us was far more excited about that song than any other. Towards the end of the set when it seemed like she was drawing things to a close, I kept thinking that this had to be the last song because it was such a big song. Then the next song would be even bigger. There’s a reason why she is what she is.
Halfway through the set we saw one of the coolest things I have seen at a show in a very long time. After she sang The First Cut Is The Deepest, she launched into a diatribe against her orange president. The crowd booed appropriately, which you can never be entirely sure of in these parts. She talked about how when the second term had started, she and the band had started thinking about whether they would have to move to Canada. As the cheering subsided, she threw in a quick comment about how she’d have to learn O Canada. The crowd then spontaneously launched into the anthem. Or a couple versions, really - no one had agreed on the tempo in advance, so we got to the last line at least twice. It was unexpected, surprising, and really freaking cool. The seated members of the band - drums and keys - stood and gave us a standing ovation as we finished, and you could tell that Sheryl and the rest were touched by it. It was kinda amazing. Just like the whole night was.
The details: Oxford Stomp - Sheryl Crow with The Sheepdogs, Dear Rouge, and Hotel Mira. Prince’s Island Park, Calgary, Friday, July 11, 2025, 3:30 pm.
Up next: I need a break from big shows with big crowds. A couple shows are on the schedule for the next week, and they are very exciting. They are also small and in the dark and dingy spaces that I love.