On Monday night I saw Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene play a solo set at Bowery Ballroom. The show was rescheduled from earlier in the month due to visa issues (as Drew is Canadian). It was a big show for me as I somehow never managed to catch Broken Social Scene live whenever they came around NYC (I was at Binghamton). This show managed to make up for that drop of the ball on my end, as Drew played some Broken Social Scene related material that made for a well balanced evening.
Drew showed off a good sense of humor right from the get-go, poking fun at how they showed up a month late. The band screwed up the first band so Drew opted to walk off stage, re-doing his entrance in a tongue-in-cheek fashion as if nothing ever happened. It was this not too serious spirit that made the show feel intimate. This, along with Drew doing stuff like coming into the crowd to sing with fans in a hushed huddle.
He made the show more about us than himself, even taking requests during the encore for what Broken Social Scene song that we wanted to hear. “It’s All Gonna Break” was the chosen number, and it was breathtaking. The night also saw a marvelous performance of his latest single “Good Sex” which was prefaced with Drew mentioning that his father (his manager as well) wanted to know if Drew could write a love song without involving piss or semen. He collaborated on an album with opener Andy Kim, who joined Drew onstage for a pretty stunning duet which I’m going to have to find once its released.
Hopefully someday Broken Social Scene will get back together so I can see them (pretty selfish, I know). But if not, seeing Drew play such honest and intimate solo sets will be plenty fine with me.
After the show Drew entered the crowd again to personally hug anyone who came to the show and chat with them for a bit. What an absolute class act.
Find more photos of the performance below.
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