Live, In Review: Sunset Rubdown
Live, In Review:
Sunset Rubdown
Jeff MacCallum
<><><><><>
As the wildfires raged in Alberta and the winds shifted to blanket the capital city in smoke (leading to a 10+ air quality advisory), one of Canada’s most celebrated indie acts made their triumphant return to the stage after a fourteen year hiatus.
For most in attendance, getting to see Sunset Rundown live helped cross a name off their bucket list. For myself, this was a night soooo long overdue. I had the chance to see Spencer Krug and company in 08 (I think) but had no understanding of their popularity and got turned away from an oversold venue.
Sunset Rubdown’s first tour of duty ran from 2005-2009 and was an outlet for Spencer Krug to continue his prolific art output outside of Wolf Parade. Most fans of both bands will agree that Krug tended to keep his best songs for Sunset Rubdown and in their short existence, they released three impeccable albums that sound as fresh today as they did in the late 00s. But how would well over a decade of separation from these songs age for Sunset Rubdown? On May 17th at the Starlite Room in Edmonton… I found out.
Although the venue did not fill up to numbers I would have wanted to see from the city I call home, Sunset Rubdown came out and dazzled nonetheless. From the opening notes of “Snakes Got A Leg”, the crowd went bonkers as Krug and company charged into a fantastic set of fan favourites. The sound at the Starlite Room was exemplary and the band, as tight as could be, echoed that perfection, leaving us pondering if they had ever actually disbanded. Favourite after favourite poured over the crowd, “Idiot Heart, The Taming Of The Hands…, Stadiums & Shrines, Silver Moon’s”… all sounding fantastic and personified by Spencer Krug’s spellbinding presence up front.
As incredible as the fast and louder tracks were, Sunset Rubdown truly shined when they slowed things down. You could hear a pin drop in the Starlite Room as the crowd gave the band their undivided attention for tracks like “The Empty Threats Of A Little Lord” and “Us Ones In Between”, which features one of my favourite lyrics of all time delivered by Krug with gut wrenching emotion sending collective shivers ran across those in attendance.
“but I have never seen a sun that did not burry his head in the side of the world when the day is done”
As the night wore on, we all realized we were going to get a wonderfully long set, Krug later explained on stage that they came together and listed everything they wanted to play and once the list was compiled, they realized how long the set runtime would be. Not one person at Starlite Room had any issue with the runtime, although the long tuning breaks between songs sometimes killed momentum, they also created funny moments of awkwardness showcasing real human interactions amongst everyone in the room.
The evening culminated with “The Men Are Called Horsemen There” and “The Mending Of The Gown” before the members left the stage and truly made the audience work for their encore. Edmonton fans, showcasing their devotion, obliged, and brought Krug and company back on stage for a stirring rendition of “Dragon’s Lair” before they lined up for a group bow and said goodbye, leaving an electric energy buzzing through the cores of those lucky enough to see one of Canada’s finest independent acts reunite.
- Jeff MacCallum
