Matthew Good + Carly Thomas show review February 10, 2023
I love going to the Corona theatre for any reason, but there are two especially great reasons 1) seeing an artist I know and admire in the perfect setting for their music and 2) being introduced to someone new.
I got both of these when I saw Matthew Good and opener Carly Thomas. I probably could add a couple more reasons I love this venue based on that very night.
Carly Thomas
I was urged to not miss a second of Carly Thomas so I showed up good and early and was not disappointed.
Carly’s songs, presentation and stories in between, gave me the sense I was seeing someone living the true artist’s life. Carly is aware she’s not some giant name and more than being fine with that, she seems to relish it.
She performed with a balance of awe of the room and space she was playing in, while connecting with the people in the crowd that were connecting with her and simply letting the rest of them be.
No matter the tempo or intensity of the song she happened to be playing, we could feel very calm and connected to her- if we chose to. I personally chose to and feel very rewarded for it.
I enjoyed listening to her most recent record Behind the Ficus earlier in the day and when a song showed up in the set I really enjoyed hearing the stripped down version, especially Stay With Me.
Do yourself a favour and check that out. I’m still listening regularly now.
Matthew Good
Matthew Good, the reason for my initial excitement!
Wow, when I think of Matthew Good, I think of a very specific period of time where he seemed to be all over the place. I remember Apparitions showing up in the background of a scene in a soap opera my mom was watching (sure, yeah, my mom… that’s the ticket). I thought, this guy is huge, he’s even getting play in the states!
As years went by, the reality of life in the Canadian music scene caught up. As well, the reality of the shifts in the industry at large meant I saw him less on MUCH, and heard him less on my local Alternative Rock station.
Yet, he never left my mind. I knew he was still creating in a vital way, as well he was living life, and in a way mirroring my own with ups and downs, grey matter reconfiguring realizations, and sporadic debilitating health problems. Matt Good never went away.
All of this to say, I loved seeing Matt (Matthew? Matt, Matty… Matter?).
Even his bombastic early career rock juggernauts like Hello Time Bomb…it’s like it always should have been acoustic. His throat ripping snarl giving way to fragile tremolo in his current maturity.
I never saw him in the big loud band setting. After this, sure it would be fun, but I don’t need to. This is the way I like Matt Good the best… The Goodest.
Share this :
