Broken Social Scene’s slumber party

Kevin Drew refuses to remove his clothing, brings up Spin the Bottle, and “The Wagon” appears

By Kirstie Shanley
Published: November 7th, 2007 | 4:27am

November 3, 2007, at Chicago’s Metro —

Seattle’s Arthur & Yu opened the Broken Social Scene show with songs clearly rooted in ’60s and ’70s American folk music. Grant Olsen and Sonya Westcott, the duo behind Arthur & Yu, took part in sharing the vocals and cultivating enchanting melodies, while tour band members Dove Amber, Adam Howrey, and Daniel Hunt added their ambiance to the low-key and somewhat melancholy set. Nonetheless, it was a very pleasant opening that ushered in a mellow tone for the night and warmed up the audience after only a couple of songs.

The concert was billed as a Broken Social Scene presentation of Kevin Drew's solo release, Spirit If. And though the album was not performed in its entirety from start to finish, as fans may have anticipated by the billing, most of Spirit If’s songs were played throughout the night. Drew and entourage also did a sped-up cover of Dinosaur Jr.'s "The Wagon." And patient fans were treated to some classic Broken Social Scene songs, the best being "Major Label Debut" and "It's All Gonna Break."

The presence of a female singer, such as BSS’ Amy Millan, Emily Haines, or Leslie Feist — all three make guest appearances on the album and have appeared in previous live performances — was missed. Still, it was great to see Andrew Kenny of American Analog Set singing and lending his hand to Moog, Rhodes, and guitar. And, as can be expected, Kevin Drew kept the audience’s attention throughout.
It takes a charming personality to make a larger venue such as the Metro (the maximum capacity — split between two floors — is 1,100) feel as intimate as a slumber party, but Kevin Drew was in the right form to pull this off, alternating songs with witty banter. His between-song banter — including inviting audience members to smell his sweater and talking about Spin the Bottle games — was comfortable and heartening.

As can be expected, the new album is more lyrically personal than previous BSS releases. Yet Spirit If contains songs like “Safety Bricks” that easily fit within the BSS style catalog. The addition of these types of songs seems to add to the audience’s comfort-level in listening to solo work by a member of their beloved Canadian super group.

By the end of the night, the audience seemed free of any possible skepticism. Drew thanked everyone who had helped him on Spirit If and the tour, and he graciously thanked the audience for saving him money on therapy sessions by listening to him perform. It was a rather joyous and comfortable affair for devoted followers of the band. In fact, so festive was the occasion that a couple was swayed to get engaged that night on the Metro’s balcony. This might lead one to think that it could not have happened if the event hadn’t foreshadowed good times to come.