Post-hardcore artist Dallas Green, serenaded Club Nokia on October 16th, 2013 with a soaring croon and backed by an incredible set of musicians to form the Canadian outfit City and Colour. As the former Alexisonfire vocalist/guitarist, Green has shifted to a new tone, gorgeous full-scale songs of melody and acoustic fervor.  The crowd at Club Nokia was both absorbed but also somewhat underwhelming.  Adoring fans knew every song at the strike of the first chord, but still gave far too little ‘umph’ as deserved by a band so intimate in their folk sensibility and melodic craftsmanship.  During the set, Green asked the crowd to turn off cameras and cellphones, a chance to get everyone back to the root of attention but the insta-culture still prevailed.  Later he demanded everyone raise their devices again like beacons.  Green’s mature wit beyond typical frontman-banter paired with his clear and endearing voice paved the way for full impact.  Folkier tracks like “Harder than Stone” and “Waiting” (described by Green as a “feel good hit”) were weighty buffers between more striking songs like “Fragile Bird” and the powrefully haunting “Thirst”  – as if Green was taking us with him though his beautiful ups and downs…us looking for shelter in his vibrato.  Not only did Green organize a sing-along, but he facilitated a marriage proposal onstage – something quite fitting with City and Colour’s strongest motif: the urgency of love.  The band were showered with vibey stage lights and anchored by dark ballads off their most recent record ‘The Hurry and the Harm’.  City and Colour manifested an elegant soundscape and an organic charm that made the entire Club Nokia swoon for the night – and Green still remained humble: “This is a song about how when you know that someone is much better than you are.”

Lucky that for one night, we found each other.
Photos and review by me for: PinpointMusic.com