A few months back, when I heard that Grammy-winners Soul Asylum would be coming to the Bronson Centre, I deeply explored what they’ve been up to since their heyday of the mid-90s. Nineties-era rock holds a special place for me, as I worked part-time in a record store slinging CDs to the masses, and spinning whatever discs were available in the store, including Soul Asylum’s Grave Dancers Union, and Let Your Dim Light Shine. It turns out that founder and lead vocalist Dave Pirner and the band have been busy, putting out several releases, including the most recent, Slowly But Shirley—the name of the current tour.
As luck would have it, a fellow photographer friend reached out to me on the weekend with an offer to attend a special intimate acoustic event with Soul Asylum at the studios of Live 88.5. It was a unique opportunity to hear a few acoustic songs by Dave and guitarist/backing vocalist Ryan Smith, plus a few stories from over the years and a bit of trivia about the band.
As it turns out, the new album title is a tip of the hat to first lady of drag racing, Shirley Muldowney. It was the perfect warm-up to Monday night’s show, leaving me with a little extra fodder for this piece, and a photo of myself with Dave and Ryan for the memory books.
I headed out to the Bronson Centre early to catch the opening set by Montreal’s Blurry Eyes, who joined for the last couple of nights of the tour, filling the spot previously held by The Juliana Hatfield Three. Blurry Eyes made quick work of warming up the crowd with their punchy power punk, laced with complementary guitar parts and tight harmonies reminiscent of Doughboys or Sights and Sounds, to name a couple of bands with similar sonic fingerprints.
For a rainy Monday night, the Bronson Centre was full of fans eager to see Soul Asylum. And they did not disappoint. The band tore through a 17-song set, with minimal time for small talk or stage banter. Surprisingly, the band kicked off the set with two better-known hits, “Somebody to Shove” and “Misery” instead of saving them for later in the set. This proved to be a great way to fire up the crowd.
Given that this tour cycle supports the new album, fans were treated to a handful of songs Slowly But Shirley, including “High Road,” which had Pirner dancing across the stage. Another highlight of the new material was the lock-tight jam of “Sucker Maker,” which showcased just how tight an experienced touring band can be. Pirner introduced the song with, “Ok, this one’s gonna rock your b**** off!”
Towards the end of the set, a brief moment of silence led a fan to scream out “SOUL ASYLUM!!” right as they started fan-favourite “Black Gold,” which received a huge reception. During the instrumental portion in the middle of the song, Pirner, guitarist Ryan Smith, and bassist Jeremy Tappero crouched down together at the base of Jerry Pentecost’s drum riser.
Perhaps the most easily recognizable song of the evening was their breakout hit, “Runaway Train,” which was accented by the whirling mirrored reflections of the Bronson Centre’s disco ball. Fans sang along, so much that when the song finished, Pirner quipped, “You heard that one before?” But of course! Not only did the song win a Grammy in 1994 for Best Rock Song, but the accompanying video, featuring missing youth, was responsible for saving 21 of them. This was one of many fun facts I learned at the Live 88.5 session on Sunday.
Something else I learned at that acoustic session on Sunday was that Dave Pirner’s favourite song to close the show is always “April Fool,” and that is exactly the song they used to close out their two-song encore. When asked about the song, he said it just feels like the right song to play before sending people back into the world at the end of the show.
It was a fitting end to an excellent show. To the unfamiliar, I highly recommend checking out the new album, which is available wherever you buy or stream music.
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