Jann Arden (opener Rose Cousins)
Where: Royal Theatre
When: Thursday night
Rating: 4/5
There’s something quintessentially Canadian about Jann Arden, who launched her Canadian tour with a sold-out concert at the Royal Theatre last night.
This quality is conveyed by a multitude of things. There’s her flat Canadian accent and her self-deprecating humour, her slightly awkward glamour (Arden sported a fashionable faux-leather jacket, then complained it was too darned hot). And there’s her lack of pretentiousness. Who else but Jann would dot her show with such unlikely covers as Ann Murray’s Snowbird, Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain and that old chestnut, The Glory of Love?
In performance, Arden, who first broke through in 1993 with I Would Die For You, made no attempt to be hip or cool. Instead, the Calgary singer-songwriter seemed keen to assure her adoring fans she’s one of us. In mid-show, she even joined the audience via a side door, plunking herself into an empty aisle seat to sing and chat.
“We’re right in the middle of a professional show,” Arden joked, managing to upend the traditional performer-audience dynamic.
At one point, she presented a little girl named Bella with a $20 bill, ostensibly by way of apology for joking about marijuana. Later, Arden gave the youngster another $40 after a reminiscence about being obsessed with death in her 20s. Her underlying message: “I’m regular folk, just like you. Really I am.”
Backed by a crack band, Arden appeared in good voice (settling in after a few wobbly high notes early in the show). The concert was sprinkled with offerings from latest disc, Everything Almost. These new songs, some of them boasting a surprising rock edge, were well received. However, it was obvious the fans were there for the do-or-die love ballads that made Arden famous in this country. Her two-hour-plus set included such favourites as Insensitive, Time for Mercy, Will You Remember Me, Good Mother and Unloved.
Watch for Adrian Chamberlain’s full review Saturday in our print edition and online