City and Colour + Lissie - Somerville Theatre (Somerville, MA; Jan. 10, 2010)

Headed into this Sunday night show at the Somerville Theatre, I wasn’t quite sure how the two acts were going to mix. Either all of the tattooed, skinny-jean clad City and Colour fans were going to find a little bit of themselves that they weren’t aware existed (that would be the foot stompin’, rough-edged country side) or they were going to sit politely in their seats and stare back through thick-rimmed glasses, wishing they spent more time at the bar.

The opening band, Lissie, is fronted by Lissie Maurus, a blond-haired, blue-eyed, cigarette toting mixture of spirits ranging from Janis Joplin to Stevie Nicks to Bonnie Raitt. Touring in support of the new EP, Why You Runnin’, the trio may have found their way into a cold climate inside as well as out. It was fairly evident from their opening song, a foot tapping cover of the Hank Williams classic “Wedding Bells,” that Lissie has a way of taking even the saddest themes and making you feel that the sorrow and pain is all part of some grand plan. Shrug it off and move on in time with the beat.

This live performance by the Rock Island, Illinois native and her cohort confirmed for me what many had hoped, that the EP’s semi-polished sound was indeed a bit rougher around the edges in person, a quality that only enhances the effect Lissie’s voice has on you when you hear songs like “Little Lovin’.” The enchanting, graveled sound of her voice makes you hope she doesn’t give up smoking any time soon. Let’s hope no one produces it out of her, either.

The set was worthy of a much less constrictive environment and a much longer time slot. And while one woman did away with any pretense and actually did get up to start dancing, for the most part the crowd gave this lovable trio nothing more than a polite, but cold, Bostonian round of applause.

When City and Colour (real name Dallas Green) took the stage, the audience immediately got what they came for. The tattooed and bespectacled hulk of a presence ambled out on stage solo and launched into “Comin’ Home” off of his debut solo album. As the song built, so did the number of musicians on stage until the song climaxed and then collapsed back in on itself to a quiet finish. Quite a way to start a show, but not really a departure for Dallas.

Also known as part of the popular Canadian post-hardcore group Alexisonfire, Mr. Green is used to using dynamic crescendos to his musical advantage. The difference being that when he’s touring as City and Colour (<-- did I mention he's Canadian?), those crescendos are less about punching you in the face and more about punching you in the heart. Armed with a dulcet singing voice, an incredible talent for simplifying complex emotions, and an engaging personality, it's easy to see why he's quickly become a favorite with a host of cross-over crowds.

The tone for the evening was set early when Dallas joked about nearly canceling the show because his NBA team, the Toronto Raptors, were dismissed by the Celtics earlier in the day. If he thought he could get away with that one without someone yelling "Raptors suck!" he hasn't been down to Beantown too often. Fortunately, that kind of back and forth seems to play right into his hands. He carves himself out as one half of a relationship and invites the audience to make up the other half. He even put the audience through the ringer and weighed our worthiness during a 3-song sing-a-long that culminated with the crowd favorite "The Girl."

Throughout a set that ambled among older songs, songs from his newest release Bring Me Your Love, and songs that he hinted would be on an album to be released this year, you got the feeling that even though Dallas feigned some disdain for Boston, he really appreciated the enthusiasm with which his music was met that night. And it turns out that’s exactly what he felt.

After the set officially ended and the band walked off stage, there was no over-extended wait for the encore, and there was no need to chant his name. Dallas came back out on stage alone and sans instruments, approached the mic and sincerely thanked everyone in attendance for caring about what he was doing. His way of showing thanks was to launch into a amazing A capella version of Son House’s “Grinnin’ In Your Face.”

I’ll take that as a thank you any day.

DOWNLOAD: City and Colour - The Girl (MP3) or Follow us for more City and Colour MP3s (Twitter)

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