Tag Archives: Vancouver
Vancouver Orpheum Theater – 31st July 2019
Setlist
What’s It All About / Heads / Play Dead / Walk Like You / All I’m Saying / How Hard The Day / Many Faces / Attention / Come Home / Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)Support
with Psychedelic Furs (co-headline) and Dear BoyMore Information & Reviews
Review: Martin Alldred at Panic Manual
James came on first, and performed a set of material mostly from albums they have recorded since they reformed in 2007. They sounded tight and Tim Booth’s voice has not lost any of its power. It was disappointing to not hear more of the old favourites, “Come Home” being the only song they played from back in the day. It sounded fantastic, and only made it more disappointing that they didn’t play one or two more.
Read the full review at PanicManual.com
Review: EvenTheStars.co.uk
…during the set closer Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) Tim is joined on stage by an older chin-braided geezer in a straw pork pie hat who dances up a storm. The dam has been breached and soon a multi-generational and multi-gender crowd is up on stage dancing up a storm. As the tune finishes, Tim reminds the crowd that ‘it only takes one person to break through and make change’, and as we think about Greta Thunberg [the 16 year old Swedish climate change activist] and other new leaders, it is a good thought for all of us to take home and ponder before we start our new tomorrows.
Read the full review at EvenTheStars.co.uk
Vancouver Commodore Ballroom – 7th April 2012
Setlist
Dream Thrum / Play Dead / Say Something / Waltzing Along / We're Going To Miss You / Born of Frustration / I Want To Go Home / Space / Seven / She's A Star / Waterfall / Sometimes / Hello / Five-O / Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) / Ring the Bells / Riders / Stutter / TomorrowVIP Soundcheck - Play Dead / I Wanna Go Home / Waltzing Along / English Beefcake / Hello
Support
Thomas Dolby / ElizavetaMore Information & Reviews
None.
Vancouver Commodore Ballroom – 7th October 2010
Setlist
Dust Motes / PS / Tell Her I Said So / It's Hot / Ring The Bells / Jam J / Bubbles / Out To Get You / Don't Wait That Long / Porcupine / Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) / Tomorrow / Say Something / What's The World / Sound / Sit Down / Stutter / Come Home / Sometimes / LaidSupport
Ed HarcourtMore Information & Reviews
Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom is just that, a huge renovated ballroom with a sprung wood dance floor. As we walk past the venue at 6pm in search of dinner, trying to avoid the many street people, we can hear James running through their real soundcheck. James start their night at 9:30pm in a very mellow mood with Dust Motes and PS. Interestingly they gradually energize the crowd starting with the audience choir in Tell Her I Said So coupled with Saul’s drums and hitting a peak a few songs later with Jim’s solo feature piece Jam J, a real gem. For me, the highlight of the night is the bluesy wailer, Don’t Wait That Long, which James have done a handful of times since their reformation. In this one, Saul’s beautiful violin work perfectly complements Larry’s uncharacteristic (for him) Brit blues rocker guitar work. Next up it’s nice to hear Porcupine from Night Before; such a shame it’s not joined by Shine or Doctor Hellier. GAWI then takes the crowd away as Tim moves onto the barrier to sing a duet with one of the boys in the crowd, going off key as he tries to keep his balance. Blasting through Tomorrow, James push things up a notch as Tim circles the ballroom floor, dancing on tables, while singing Say Something. Then out of nowhere they do What’s The World, which is foreign to most of the audience; truly a one off. The night has its light moments too. After finishing Sound with a new adlib section, Tim starts to introduce a little known song as the set closer, when Saul mentions his setlist shows Sit Down still to be done. Speaking of which, it’s great that James have gone out of their way in this tour to change up how they do Sit Down each time, deciding tonight to do a real rocking version. The lid then gets blown off withe brilliant set closer Stutter; the three drummer (Dave, Mark & Saul) ending section is just so powerful.
After a 4 or 5 minute pause, James return to the stage for a greatest hits encore of (the rarely done on this tour) Come Home, which sounds very fresh tonight; an electric Sometimes, with an error filled intro and the standard audience choir close; then capping things off with Laid and ignoring the audience’s cries for more.
Speaking of which, the crowd tonight is very notable for being by far the most boorish and rudest bunch I’ve come across on this tour. Not only talking loudly over most songs, many of the boys seem to go out their way to grope, knock into and stomp on people. Worse yet, this may be because an unusually large minority are in a drug rather than a musically induced trance tonight; ecstasy and meth look to be the chemicals of choice but a number of reefers were also lit in the smoke-free venue. Overall quite a negative atmosphere. Strangely, Tim really seems to feed off of the high audience members; perhaps, here’s a mirror with your name on. Overall, quite a night of contrasts, ranging from a varied and largely unpredictable main set to a cookie cutter encore. Well that’s James!
Vancouver The Rage – 1st May 1997
Setlist
Out To Get You / Born of Frustration / Sometimes / She's A Star / Lost A Friend / Sit Down / PS / Five-O / Play Dead / Waltzing Along / Greenpeace / Say Something / Homeboy / Tomorrow / Sound / Come Home / LaidSupport
Third Eye BlindMore Information & Reviews
Daniel Ewatcha, Drop D Magazine
Transparent marketing ploy or legitimate injury? That was indeed the question on everyone’s minds as lead singer Tim Booth appeared in a neck brace as he and the rest of the James gang took to the stage, ironically enough in support of their new album entitled Whiplash. “I have whiplash,” Booth stated, answering our silent inquiry, then added laughingly, “It’s not some cheap marketing tool.” Thankfully, rather than canceling this, their long-awaited return to Vancouver, James decided to go ahead, and performed about 90 minutes of material from their first to their most recent albums.
As they opened the show with “Out to Get You” off of their Laid album, a tranquil, yet hauntingly exciting choice, I knew the show was going to be a classic. The audience, myself included, proceeded to sing along with Booth every word of practically every song performed, much to the delight of the band (who helped by concentrating on the Laid and Whiplash CDs, the band’s more commercially successful products).
James do not simply put on a show — they put on an event, and the Rage was the place to be this Thursday. A James show is entertaining to the point of leaving the audience and the band on the same level (despite, this time, Booth having to sit down periodically, leaving the audience yearning for his trademark spastic dances). The band looked like they were having fun, as did the audience.
Their light show was nothing short of excellent and well worth noting, whether it was the beat-triggered strobe lights during “Sound” or the multi-coloured bombardment during “Sit Down,” (which was disappointingly lacking in pogoing by the audience). Considering the fact that this was the Rage, envisioning the stage performance James would put on in an arena or stadium gives me goose bumps. But for now, we’ll just have to settle for clubs. Either way, they’re entertaining to the extreme.
Vancouver Commodore Theatre – 13th March 1994
Setlist
tbd
Support
Texas
Review
n/a