City And Colour in Halifax

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City And Colour in Halifax

It may have been a cold February night, but that didn’t stop people from packing into the Scotiabank Centre to see City And Colour in Halifax for the first time in five years. The band’s cross-country tour wrapped up on the East Coast alongside Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats and Ruby Waters.

Ruby Waters

Ruby Waters got the night off to a warm start, drawing in the crowd with a voice that’s equal parts soulful and haunting. The band’s sound gave me vibes of Janis Joplin with a pop influence, soothing the chill of winter with their melodic tracks.

Nathaniel Rateliff

The energy in the building completely flipped on its head when Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats exploded onto the stage. No exaggeration, explosions were had for real – Nathaniel launched a tambourine into the stage floor partway through his set and the pieces scattered everywhere. I managed to snag a piece for my memorabilia collection.

Nathaniel Rateliff brought out all the stops for his performance. I was blown away by his energy, as well as the rest of the band. They had the crowd hooked from start to finish, and are ultimately the highlight of the night for me. I was familiar with some of his music, but experiencing his live performance made me appreciate his craft even more. I’m sure he could come back to Halifax and fill in the Scotiabank Centre all on his own. Fan, old and new, were cheering for more once his hour-long set wrapped. I definitely hope he makes his way back East soon.

City And Colour

The night dialed back to a more relaxed tone, albeit only slightly, once City And Colour hit the stage. I’ll admit that I’m more familiar with frontman Dallas Green from his time with Alexisonfire, but I was still excited to finally see him live. Though a far departure from the hardcore band I grew up with, I love the energy that City And Colour came with. Partway through the set, Dallas took a moment to address the crowd, asking everyone to be have kindness for the stranger next to them and to appreciate the beauty in having us all in one place to sing the same songs together. He commanded the crowd again as the band played “Astronaut,” where Dallas encouraged everyone to light up the arena with their phone flashlights (with some lighters scattered throughout). After playing through a setlist that spanned through the band’s extensive discography, they stepped off stage while fans were left roaring for an encore. To their delight, they weren’t waiting long.

Be Right Back

It was on this night that I learned just how close Dallas holds Nova Scotia to his heart; he made mention of this during the song “Coming Home,” singing updated about never taking pictures whilst in the province because “[he’ll] just be right back” and causing the crowd to erupt in cheer. My heartstrings were tugged when Dallas threw in a verse from my favourite AOF song, “This Could Be Anywhere In The World.” They were tugged again, when the power of the crowd singing the late and great Gord Downie’s verse in the song “Sleeping Sickness” vibrated through the arena. It was one of those moments that were a true testament to the power of music.

As the night closed down and the crowd emptied out, there was a sense of unity felt throughout the streets. It’s always a beautiful time when City And Colour is in Halifax, and here’s hoping it’s not another five years until he returns.

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