I have been a Russell Crowe fan since Gladiator. Finding out about TOFOG was an added bonus. Attending TOFOG concerts...well those were quite unforgettable. Even though TOFOG didn’t have a regular tour schedule, when they did perform it was  a true experience, not just a concert you sit and observe, you are completely drawn in and become a part of what is going on, much like GBS shows. I managed to attend the Austin 2001 gigs and the entire week in Chicago at the House of Blues in 2003. So I consider myself as having some concert experience. When I heard that Russell was going to collaborate with Alan Doyle from Great Big Sea, I decided to find out what all of the fuss was about. So I picked up the Great Big DVD....from the first notes of Donkey Riding I knew this was going to be great. The energy from the live show was palpable and made me want to jump around my living room. By the time I heard General Taylor, I was hooked. I knew I had found a band that gave their all to the live performance and gave me that same feeling I had gotten in Chicago.

Then My Hand My Heart was released on itunes and of course I downloaded it. I was thrilled to hear the result of this great collaboration and was not disappointed. In the mean time, my GBS knowledge was expanding. By the time the concert at Wolftrap slated for Aug. 9 was announced I knew I would be going. Then more dates started to appear, all on the East Coast, Buffalo, Fergus Ontario......it started to look like the makings of a road trip. I looked at the map and saw where Fergus was located, then Gananoque, Ontario......Buffalo, New Haven....as insane as it seemed, I was committed (or should have been legally) to a road trip.

5 shows, in 5 days, 2100 miles, less than 12 hours sleep total, 2 countries later.......and I can tell you it was one hell of a ride!

The travel was punishing, Admittedly, I did a lot of driving, which the band doesn’t have to do, they get to sleep on the bus. But I can imagine the toll all the travel takes on them nonetheless. There were days I wasn’t sure of the date or the day of the week.....you can become very disoriented very easily.

Each show was similar but different. Each one had its own "personality", its own rhythm. Concerts are a kind of symbiotic experience. The band feeds off the energy of the crowd which in turn feeds off the energy of the band. All the shows were high energy, it’s just the nature of a GBS show. You can’t help but be on your feet and jump around when Alan Doyle implores you to make some noise. And it’s this energy, the sheer joy of being a part of this experience that keeps fans coming back and going to extraordinary lengths to attend shows. One woman came all the way from Alaska just to be at the Gananoque show and brought her daughter as well. If you ask her I am certain she would tell you it was well worth it.

Wolftrap will always stand out as my very first GBS show. After months of listening to GBS daily, learning the words, reading the boards, seeing countless pictures, it was almost surreal to see the band in the flesh standing directly in front of me. One of my most favorite memories of the trip happened before the actual show. I was fortunate enough to be present for the sound check, just outside the gates. We couldn’t see the band, only hear them. It was an overcast misty afternoon, and myself, Lynda and Christina were huddled under the entrance where we first heard River Driver.

It’s sung acapella with perfect 4 part harmony on the chorus.

I will always remember the surprise and awe on our faces hearing the first notes , craning our ears to try and make out the words.....the power of the perfect harmony, feeling it in my gut each time. It will always stir powerful emotions in me. It was a real gift to be able to hear it in a rehearsal format, with a few mistakes and do-overs and then hear it again "officially" performed during the concert.

I found that the 2 Canadian shows were my favorites. Both were at outdoor venues where the crowds were very large (5,000 - 7,000 people at each). They were also "hometown" crowds in a sense. Fergus was by far my favorite (with Gananoque a close second). The band was just "on", the crowd was huge and the energy over the top. It’s not so much about whether or not they played all my favorite songs at each show. For me it was simply about being present and letting the music take me where I needed to be or sometimes where IT wanted me to be. Once you get "on the bus" with Alan steering, Sean back seat driving, Bob propelling and Chris and Murray as the misbehaving kids in the back seat, oh the places you will go! From the sublime to the silly, to the sumptuous....you can have it all at a GBS show.

Finally, last Wednesday I attended the show at Brock University in St. Catharine’s Ontario. It stands in a class by itself. The show was strictly an evening with Great Big Sea. They played an hour, took a break and then played another hour. This was a great, small intimate venue, about 500 people. Here is where they show cased many more new songs from the new cd. It was pure delight. There was a lot of banter between songs, which reminded me of Sunday night at the Chicago House of Blues 2 years ago with Russell just sharing stories and letting his hair down......and just enjoying being amongst an appreciative audience.

There are many parallels between TOFOG and GBS shows, mainly the rapport the bands have with the audience, the energy generated from that, the infectious enthusiasm and enjoyment shared by everyone present. You cannot attend a show by either band and sit passively in your seat. In fact, at the Brock University show, the seats were assigned, and many people stayed seated. But there were a number of us perched on the edge of our seats, dying to jump up, but not sure of the proper etiquette in that type of venue. Finally, we all gave in and just did what comes naturally. No matter how tired and cranky I was from driving all night when the band started to play it was like a shot of adrenaline and I was having as much fun as I would if I had gotten a full nights sleep.

I hope that there will be an opportunity for all of this to come full circle, so I can connect the dots finally, and experience a concert or two from the My Hand My Heart collaboration. Based on my road trip and past TOFOG concerts, I am certain I won’t be disappointed.