Grandaddy + Greg Freeman @ Studio TD▪

Having just come from Burlington, VT earlier this afternoon, I feel part of the cool gang when opener Greg Freeman enquires of the sold-out Studio TD crowd, “Who’s here from Burlington?!” The roars back suggest the Burlington native brought a few across the border for the evening (including his sister, apparently), and why not; if you know your alternative, then you know that Greg is breaking out right now. Sophomore record Burnover is a shoo-in to my top five of the year for sure, an absolute gem of the alt-country scene that seems to have all eyes on Wednesday right now instead.

With his four-piece band, it’s a powerful sound that translates so well in the live setting. “Point and Shoot” showcases Greg’s perfectly imperfect Malkmus-esque vocal exquisitely, and in parallel with the slide guitar and saxophone, it’s so much, so fast! He cuts a Mac DeMarco vibe visually, in his white camper cap and pale skin, though that’s as far as that comparison goes – jizz jazz this most certainly isn’t.

All nine songs are incredible, honestly – after stellar new song “Gulch” (which I defy you not to love after one listen), I can’t help but yell out, “THIS IS SO GOOD!” The cheers that greet my exclamation suggest I’m not the only one who thinks so (thankfully!). But seriously, what a riff, what a melody, what a solo… it’s been a while since I liked a song so much, so fast. And how about “Tower,” from 2022 debut record I Looked Out – that rumbling bass intro that builds into those mammoth riffs, so ferocious that Greg breaks a string in the process. Even the saxophone booms, which is not something I have ever written before in my ten years of concert reviewing! We even get clarinet on songs like “Rome, New York” and “Curtain”; not sure I’ve seen one of those at a show during all that time either. An immense 45 minutes ends with a mellow “Sawmill” and an anthemic “Colorado,” and already I can’t wait for the next time I can do this all again. Speaking to Greg after the show, he’ll be back in January at l’Escogriffe – not formally announced yet, so you heard it here first!

Greg Freeman Setlist

Point and Shoot
Salesman
Rome, New York
Long Distance Driver
Tower
Curtain
Gulch
Sawmill
Colorado

Grandaddy have been together on and off since 1992, and tonight marks their first show in Montreal since 2003, here in support of the 25th anniversary of their stunning 2000 sophomore record The Sophtware Slump (so actually, 26th anniversary by the time the Montreal stop rolls around). The first half of the show is that record from start to finish, and it still sounds as fresh as ever. Things start with “He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s the Pilot,” clocking in at around ten minutes (and making up a fifth of that whole record), and it remains a beautiful piece of music, that twinkly intro becoming more and more heavenly as frontman Jason Lytle reiterates, “Are you givin’ in, 2000 Man?” The roars are deafening at the song’s conclusion; such a Grandaddy way to start a record.

“Jed the Humanoid” is even more poignant than on record, the tinny lo-fi vibe beefed up into a stirring, swirling ode to that neglected little robot, and contrasts gloriously with “The Crystal Lake” that immediately follows, that powerhouse drawing the biggest singalong of the night so far. This record was always so striking in its contrasts, exemplified perfectly by the delicate, piano-only “Underneath the Weeping Willow” bookended by the rock-out of “Chartsengrafs” and “Broken Household Appliance National Forest.” “So You’ll Aim Toward the Sky” is a stirring conclusion to that record, and indeed this first half of the set.

After the briefest of pauses, the band return and Jason introduces “Part 2,” a dip into the rest of the band’s stellar catalogue. “Now It’s On” starts with Jason puffing on a duck caller, and is that classic Grandaddy sound of punk-rock guitar riffs mixed in with swirling keys, immediately followed by “Lost on Yer Merry Way,” both from that glorious 2003 Sumday record.

One of Jason’s solo records gets representation in the form of 2009’s “Ghost of My Old Dog,” and it’s a truly unexpected blast from the past – I remember seeing him tour this record at Petit Campus that same year, 13 July 2009 to be precise, and suddenly I can’t fathom how 17 years have elapsed. I feel old. “Stray Dog and the Chocolate Shake” continues the canine theme, those dorky 8-bit keys still sounding massive when wielded like this, before “Levitz” and an enormous Jason guitar solo close out the main set.

The band return for a three-song encore, starting with the classic “El Caminos in the West” and the blissful strum and ethereal keys of “I’m on Standby.” After Jason asks the crowd if they want a heavy one or a soft one to end the evening, the plinky electronica of “A.M. 180” starts up while the crowd is in the process of shouting out requests; nobody is disappointed by the choice. The singalong is huge, and at the breakdown, drummer Aaron Burtch stops, puts on a Canada beanie (in tribute to today’s Thanksgiving holiday), chugs a beer, and continues the song to its conclusion. It’s a great end to a great hour and three-quarters, and Jason effuses, “Thank you so much; you’ve been absolutely wonderful!”

So have you, Grandaddy!