Thanks a lot, Fucker!

Artist: Hayden

Date: April 8, 2015

Venue: The Sanctuary

City: Ridgeway

Price: $20.00

Seats: General Admission

Genre: Alt Rock

Overview:

First, I don’t really think Hayden is a fucker. He is actually a charming, funny and super-talented and giving man – not a fucker at all. However, he is currently on tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Everything I long for”. So, it was humbling and funny when the first words he uttered on stage were “Hey there, you look older.”

I distinctly remember 20 years ago listening to Hayden and thinking that my boyfriend (soon to be husband) had the coolest last name ever (Haydon). So, I am only calling him a fucker for reminding me that I have gotten older and 20 years has passed since I took on my cool last name.

I’m not going to lie, I might have been a smidge worried about watching a one-man show, but, this was easily one of the best small-venue concerts that I have been to in recent years. Hayden was humble, funny and engaging through the entire show…there were never any draggy points and we never really needed a second beer from the bar since we didn’t want to miss a song.

He played (almost*) the entire album front to back and then threw in a few extra tunes to finish off the night.

Vibe:

The vibe of this show was really relaxed and enjoyable. Hayden kept us entertained with some funny miscues, like pausing to tune his guitar in the middle of a song and stopping a song to chuckle about his teenage anger issues. He spent time between songs to take questions from the audience. Good questions. Like why he took “*Bunk Beds” out of the set list or how he forgot the lyrics to Driveway and literally had to Google them and print them off. He humbly laughed because he thought the lyrics were wrong because the words seem so shitty looking at them now.

He also brought an audience member, Lisa, up on stage to accompany him on electric guitar. He specifically asked for a volunteer who was not a musician and that’s what he got. He took a few minutes to teach her one note on the electric guitar and nodded each time she had to strum it. She turned out to be a great sport and the tune didn’t sound half-bad. The audience was roaring with appreciation after Lisa’s valiant rock star effort.

There were a couple times when Hayden asked the crowd to keep the talking down. He nicely stated that some folks really enjoy the slow songs and want to hear them interrupted. It was actually a beautiful request and one lady shouted “thank you for that” after the tune finished.

However, some people took it upon themselves to “shhh” the crowd periodically throughout the night. Then it kind of backfired and people were shhing each other jokingly. I guess one guy didn’t like getting “shushed” and there was almost a fist fight.

Venue:

We’ve attended a few shows at The Sanctuary now and we really like the feel of the venue. It is a church that has been converted to a concert hall, restaurant and brewery (Brimstone).

The acoustics inside are lovely with the soaring ceilings. It probably holds a few hundred people so you get a really close encounter with the performers.

There is a small bar in the corner that sells Brimstone on tap and domestic bottles. As much as Ron and I love craft beer, including Brimstone, you get a better value buying bottled beer from the bar. They sell small plastic cups of their draft for the same price as a full-sized bottle. There can be a long line at the bar before the show starts, but, don’t worry, it goes really quickly.

NOTE: This venue can get really hot! This show wasn’t too bad because it was on a frosty April evening, but, by the end of the night, the hall was a little muggy. Be sure to wear light layers and use their coat rack if you need to hang up your jacket.

Highlights:

Hayden is super talented. He changed up the set by playing the acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmonica, piano and threw in a bit of whistling for good measure.

Hayden played one of my favourite tunes called “No Happy Birthday”. It was a song he wrote for his daughter who is developmentally delayed and non-verbal and when he sings she always wants to hear the “happy birthday” song. Every year, Hayden, along with his wife, assembles a unique performance called “Dream Serenade” to benefit special needs children and their families. In years past he has worked with the members of The National, Feist and Barenaked Ladies to raise over $100,000 for charity. Look for the annual event again this fall. The website is www.dreamserenade.ca.

Tips/Notes:

Parking is free and there are lots of spots along the Ridge Rd in front of the venue.

Try and go early and enjoy the brewery downstairs. If it is nice out, grab a couple of drafts and sit outside around their campfire in the Adirondack chairs out front. It is a really amazing ambience out there.