Cuddy Cavalcade

He may have a “Skyscraper Soul” but his music continues to reach new heights. Jim Cuddy came to Calgary on March 1 and brought with him, in his own words, a "cavalcade of stars." Cuddy gave plenty of space to his two sons who featured in two or more songs each. They are up-and-coming musicians who will blaze their own trail, but the proud father has given them a platform to allow the Canadian public to get to know them. They show great promise. Barney Bentall was also brought on stage to join the Jim Cuddy Band for a few songs and added much to the show.

Cuddy did a great job of featuring his new album as well as playing old standards from his Blue Rodeo music. The new music was sufficiently familiar to the audience as each concert ticket sold included a digital download of the album "Constellation." I might have liked to see a few more songs from Light That Guides You Home and Skyscraper Soul, but the Calgary audience was pleased with his Blue Rodeo selections. I was continually impressed by the level of professionalism of The Jim Cuddy Band. They are an outstanding collection of musicians who bring their best to the game at every concert and they were a pleasure to watch. Anne Lindsay, the only female member of the band, is a virtuoso violinist, and Colin Cripps and Bazil Donovan (both members of Blue Rodeo) are musicians with many years of studio and road experience.

Jim Cuddy is a Canadian treasure whose music stands the test of time. The concert was one of the best I have ever seen.

Favourite Moment:
Anne Lindsay featured in the song "Five Days in May." Lindsay (violin), Steve O'Conner (keyboard), and Colin Cripps (guitar) filled in the parts that one would have thought might be missing without Greg Keelor on this amazing Blue Rodeo song.