Before the show, I asked
someone "who is Xavier Rudd?"
“He's insane. And Australian. So it's
the good kind of insane.” Was the answer.
Rudd is among those rare
musicians whose music you cannot describe with a genre label, because
he's invented his own. All parts of reggae, electronica, folk, rock,
and Aboriginal spiritual, to name a few.
Xavier Rudd played at the
Olympic Hall on Cunard St. in Halifax this passed Thursday to a
packed house of all types. Mohawks, sundresses, business casual, and
beards that haven't seen a razor in years. The tension in the crowd
was palpable as a ten minute track of bass level beats grew with
intensity over an empty stage. When he finally emerged, he was
greeted with the kind of furor reserved for musicians accustomed to
playing much larger venues.
The musical setup on stage
was a dizzying array of didgeridoos, drums of all kinds, bells, a
harmonica, and stringed instruments. While he had great support from
another drummer on stage with him, it's clear that Xavier Rudd is a
one man band.
 |
| Xavier Rudd (left) with his hard to name drummer |
I was introduced to his
music by a friend and had been thoroughly impressed. Great music to
work or relax to. But it is a rare thing for a performer to be better
live than in studio. He gave
samplings from all of his work and albums, moving from rock infused
songs like 'Footprint', to melancholic yet hopeful solos like 'EnergySong'.
Clearly in the zone, he gave genuine surprise when the slowest
song of the night was greeted with a near frantic and totally
deafening cheer from the crowd. To almost everyone in the room,
Xavier Rudd is a man who understands.
The
Olympic Hall is a high school gym sized place with a second floor
balcony that stretches around the outskirts of the room. It has a
great 1950s vibe to it. By the time he was half way into his set, the
center of the crowd gave off a familiar intoxicating aroma, and
Xavier Rudd said “Halifax, I like the way you smell.”
Between
songs he would either stop and casually engage the crowd as an equal,
or later as a minister giving a sermon, asking for thanks to Mother
Earth. After a brain jarring five minute demand by the crowd for an
encore, Xavier Rudd returned to deliver a ten minute solo performance
of 'Spirit Bird', his new album's title track. Ending the
night with his hands stretched in the air like the priest that he
is, he lead a lengthy prayer asking for harmony and a better world.
The room sat stone silent as he delivered a talk perfectly devoid of
any specific dogma other than a love of life, music, and people.
Xavier
Rudd is currently touring in Nova Scotia and the North Eastern United
States on his vegetable oil powered tour bus.
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