Concert Review: Mother Mother

Royal Theatre, Victoria, April 30, 2022

A little over two years ago I went to see David Francey play a live show at Herman’s. Who’d have thought that would be the last show I’d see until last night’s Mother Mother concert? But there we were 800 days later, sitting in the front row of the loge, happy to rejoin the world although admittedly cringing just a little every time anyone nearby coughed. It turned out we were in for an evening of celebration, but also some unexpected drama. But more on that later.

The whole ‘room full of people’ experience took some getting used to, and there was a nervous energy pre-show. The crowd was decidedly younger, with most under 35 and a whole lot of folks in their early twenties. This surprised me a bit, until Sheila informed me that Mother Mother had become a Tik Tok sensation during the pandemic.

Many of the younger folks got dressed up in their best party clothes for the concert, including various takes on “sexy Goth.” One woman dressed up like an elf from a LARPing event, including pointy ears. After two years of people doing Zoom calls in sweatpants, it was all very welcome.

Less welcome was the lineup for the merch table, which was the longest I have ever seen, although compared to the mob rules approach I’ve seen at many merch tables (I’m looking at you, Tool) the orderliness was very Canadian. Despite all that politeness, I bailed, and it was left to hardier souls (Sheila) to secure us concert shirts. There were no stickers. Hey, bands – you could make a lot of money on stickers if you just printed a bunch of ‘em. My lunch bucket isn’t going to festoon itself.

OK, let’s talk about the show, shall we?

Monowhales

The opening act was Monowhales, a band from Toronto that plays the same style of anthem pop/rock as Mother Mother. I remember how awkwardly the rock/country Jason Isbell fans reacted to being invaded by the folk/punk sounds of Frank Turner at a show we saw in Portland, but there was no danger of expanding your musical horizons here. In fact, the fans were positively jubilant for the opening band in a way that I don’t think I’ve seen before. This was partly the result of two years of no live concerts, but I think there was a healthy dose of “we like these guys too!” going on.

I had never heard of Monowhales, but Sheila (who listens to the radio every morning) knew most of the songs and advised that they are also “a thing”.

I liked what I heard. The songs had jump, and frontwoman Sally Shaar had a good energy as she bounced around the stage, exhorting the audience into celebration. All three band members were subtly irritated by a broken mic stand that landed just right to get in everyone’s way, but they managed to kick it around until it landed in a place least annoying to all of them. I bet dealing with the broken mic stand is the kind of thing the band talks about post-show, but who knows? I’ve never been in a band.

I’m not likely to add Monowhales to my CD collection, but they were a solid opening act, and played well. The guitarist wasn’t as good as he thought he was, but he got the job done. The drummer was great but felt a bit heavy in the mix, but this could’ve been my position in the room and not a fault of the songs. I did check out some of their songs on Youtube and it isn’t a problem in the studio versions.

Mother Mother

When Mother Mother came out the applause that greeted them was even more thunderous than that received by Monowhales. I had forgotten how much noise a crowd of people can make when sufficiently motivated. It felt great.

This is the third time I’ve seen Mother Mother, and I’ve come to expect them to be a high energy show. They did not disappoint. True, lead singer Ryan Guldemond did not run through the audience as he’s done at previous events (safety first) but the excitement they instantly generated was the same old Mother Mother. These guys are great live, and well worth your time.

The set list was exactly what I look for from a band with an established catalogue of songs. They played old songs and new ones, and they mixed them together in an artful way that let the energy swell and soar. Experienced performers, Mother Mother is able to take studio songs with a lot of complexity and careful timing and play them live in a way that sounds fresh and new, but still keep them tight as hell. In a rare turn, I didn’t buy their newest album, but the songs they played from it were just as enjoyable.

We were perched over Stage Left and had a great view of everyone in the band except the drummer (I could not see him at all). I was directly over keyboardist/vocalist Jasmine Parker which suited me well, as she is the most fun person in the band to watch. Not only do I find her easy on the eyes, she’s also far and away the best dancer. She possesses a natural, joyous groove that pulls you into the core of the song and makes your heart celebrate. For this show she also had a silver glitter jacket with a giant eye on the back which seemed to look back at me every time she turned upstage.

The show took a dramatic and unexpected turn halfway through, when a young woman close to the front collapsed in the aisle. I don’t know what happened to her, but she was down for quite a while, to the point where the band stopped playing and venue staff flocked to her aid. So did a very kind looking woman in a sleeveless white top who was either a doctor or World’s Greatest Mom. Kudos to you, Dr. Mom.

While this was going on, tempers suddenly flared in the upper deck, where a fist fight broke out. Two big guys were going at it, one throwing a series of haymakers that demonstrated a practiced skill in the art of pugilism. With the audience already emotionally revved up from both the show and the whole “being in a crowd for the first time in two years” it was all a bit disconcerting. As one man shepherded his small children to safety, Ryan Guldemond retook the stage to decry the violence. It was disturbing and I briefly worried a general panic might ensue.

Instead, cooler heads prevailed. The young woman recovered, had some water, and was wheeled out of the venue safely, her friend reassuring her and holding her hand. The Fight Club was shut down and the perpetrators expelled.

Through all of this, Mother Mother were fucking heroic. Ryan gave the fallen woman soothing words of love, held the room together with gentle reassurance and then the whole band managed to bring the energy level right back up to where it was pre-drama. It was an inspiring moment of leadership and human empathy.

It was also a reminder that there are going to be some growing pains as we re-learn how to live with each other in a post-COVID world, but with love and patience we’re all going to be just fine.