Hedley (with USS)
Where: Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre
When: Thursday night
Rating: Four stars (out of five)
You know the fun quotient is, like, going to be through the roof when you see cheerleaders warming up in the halls of Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
That was the kooky scene Thursday night at the arena. Five-thousand people had gathered to see Hedley, the Canadian pop-rock band that finally played Victoria after several unforeseen delays. The crowd was mostly female, mostly teenagers … as well as some kids with their moms and dads.
Such a demographic usually means oodles of screaming and arm-waving. And sure enough that happened, a lot, whenever Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard made a hyperkinetic rock-star move. Which was pretty well all the time. The good news: the singer seemed in fine fettle, showing no sign of the bronchitis that necessitated two postponements of the Victoria concert that capped Hedley’s cross-Canada tour.
The cheerleaders? Sure enough, they showed up on stage near the end of the show — pom-poms and all — when Hedley played Cha Ching, a song about being a star that carries the sage advice: “Everybody dance, everybody sing!”
Hoggard is the kind rock star who’s perfect for the young girl (or boy) who’s too hip to be into Justin Bieber. He’s a bad boy with plenty of tattoos and all. But he’s a not particularly threatening bad boy. Hoggard smiles a lot and seems to be truly having a terrific time.
What’s more important, he’s a good singer who puts out enough energy to power a small town like, well... Hedley, British Columbia (the band’s actually named after the town). Hoggard was a winner on the 2004 season of Canadian Idol. He manifests the qualities such programs encourage — mainly, to work hard and put on a good show.
The lyrics of the average Hedley tune aren’t particularly deep. However, the songs are catchy and well crafted. And the band — which includes guitarist Dave Rosin, bassist Tommy Mac and drummer Chris Crippin — is solid.
Hedley kicked off their set with Anything, a inspirational power ballad about following one’s dreams of pop stardom, rather than listening to grumpies who advocate burning ones guitar and staying in school. Dressed in a cut-off jean jacket (one of several costume changes) Hoggard soon got the arena clapping with I’ll Be With You.
Bigger fun ensued with Don’t Talk to Stranger, another pop-rock anthem — this time about a young guy who ends up bedding a distressingly older woman with with bleached blond hair. The fun part was when a dude dressed up as a homely woman came on stage.
Half-way through the show, Hedley reconvened on a small stage in the middle of the arena to deliver a short “acoustic style set.” This was entertaining for fans in the middle rows, who got the chance to see band close up. In this configuration, Hedley sounded like a chirpier version of Great Big Sea. Meanwhile, Hoggard got the chance to play an electric piano contained in a see-though stand that resembled an upright. Which was cool because it lit up in an interesting manner.
Highlights for this set-within-a-set included Heaven in our Headlights, which is about getting high and taking a drive (did the moms at the show know what that song is about?). And there was Wildlife, a song about how messed up civilization has become, which Hoggard preceded by declaring: “What the f--k is wrong with the world?"
During Crazy for You, a mom and her 11-year-old daughter in front of me danced, arms around one another, which was sweet. Hedley definitely knows its audience. At one point Hoggard used a T-shirt gun to blast Hedley memorabilia into the appreciative crowd. Before the show, video screens projected a Hedley quiz. Sample question: “What member of Hedley has the most hairstyle changes?” (Sorry folks, I’ve forgotten the answer.)
Less memorable was an opening set by USS (it stands for Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker). The trio features a highly animated turntablist, the Human Kebab, who really got the audience going. But the songs didn’t quite match the Kebab’s admirable energy.
