Saturday night was a family affair at the Babs Asper Theatre at the National Arts Centre, as Chantal Kreviazuk made the final stop on her tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of her sophomore album Colour Moving and Still.
The surprise opener of the show was Rowan Maida, son of Kreviazuk and her husband Raine Maida of the band Our Lady Peace. Clearly the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as Rowan delivered an impressive opening set of originals, in which he capably handled piano and vocals, as well as a rousing cover of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” with his mom taking over piano duties as Rowan worked the crowd. He’s already got a number of songs to his credit, including the upbeat “Paris,” which was used during the 2024 Olympics.
Kreviazuk, originally from Winnipeg, made her debut in 1996, with Under These Rocks and Stones. She has had a steady and accomplished career ever since, releasing a number of albums as well as writing songs for and with other notable artists like Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani, Kelly Clarkson and Drake.
Her show last night was the perfect blend of what fans came for, and was simultaneously one of the most funny and heartwarming shows that I’ve ever been to.
Throughout her set, she interspersed stories from her life that inspired the songs, and talked about the highs and lows of being in a marriage with another performer. She was also damn funny, with some self-deprecating humour, a few well-placed cuss words as well as an ability to capitalize on a humorous moment, with just the right comment to make the audience laugh. A little foray into her love of Bryan Adams led her to lead into a musical interlude of Adams’ “Heaven,” which she said she used to sing into a hairbrush in front of a mirror, while sneaking a little to her brother’s albums.
Anecdotes about accidentally peeling the wallpaper off the walls in her hotel room due to her efforts to maintain her voice, were offset by the sad stories of loss behind songs like “Far Away” (the tragic early death of her cousin), and “Surrounded” (loss of a close friend to suicide), and “M,” which she explained was written about a young girl at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto who she met many years ago, and who had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. All three songs were incredibly beautiful in their sentiment, and performed powerfully and elegantly last night.
Prior to performing “In This Life,” she said she had been surprised that her son Rowan had recently taken a newfound liking to the song, before calling him back out onstage to join her at the piano. It was a perfectly sweet mother/son moment with Rowan’s arm around his mom, made equally perfect by Kreviazuk chirping mid-song, “Don’t choke me,” which drew laughter from the crowd.
“I’ll tell you a little secret,” Kreviazuk said, “This is my favourite song to play. It’s about marriage now,” referring to the later years of marriage when the “love drugs” have worn off a little, as she kicked off “Hard Sail,” which was also a good opportunity for drummer Jason Pierce and bassist/cellist Kevin Fox to showcase their talents as well.
During the song, “Until We Die,” Kreviazuk joked, “Where are the f—ing lights? Don’t wave them so fast. It’s a slow song!” joking to the audience members with their phone flashlights turned on.
“Ottawa you’re breaking out of your polite and into the light!” she said, poking fun at Ottawa’s reputation for being a polite, albeit stuffy town.
She spoke of her musical upbringing in Winnipeg in a family that was very poor. “Music made us rich.” Clearly this richness extends to her current family as well, which was regularly exhibited during the many impromptu Instagram Live shows she did in the spring of 2020, streaming live mini-shows, many of which featured Rowan joining her at the piano at their home in California.
It was an excellent night of music, and it was especially incredible to hear so many of the wonderful songs like “Eve,” “Souls” and “Blue” from Colour Moving and Still performed live. Seeing Kreviazuk in concert has somehow eluded me since one night in Halifax in 1997, when I shouted out for her to play one of my favourite songs from her debut album, and she did.
Music forms a special part of our lives, and for many it’s a soundtrack by which we mark life events and reflect on the passage of time. Colour Moving and Still was an important part of my life in the early 2000s, and through me, a big part of my daughter’s life as well, and so I brought her along for this special night.
Kreviazuk closed out the night fittingly with her well-known version of “Leaving On A Jetplane,” singing, “So kiss me [pausing to joking deliver extra kisses to Ottawa fans because it was the last night of the tour] and smile for me / tell me that you’ll wait for me / Hold me like you’ll never let me go / ‘Cause I’m leaving on a jet plane, I don’t know when I’ll be back again.”
