Listen… there are so many things I could say about The Tea Party and The Tea Party live… Things I’ve said before, things I’ll say again (e.g. I still think Jeff Martin could sing me the telephone book and I’d swoon at that voice.). And again (e.g. I never ever tire of them playing U2’s With or Without You. They need to release this as a single…)

This is a band I will go see live a million times and never worry is the set list the same, have I heard those stories before, etc. The talent that oozes from all three members is something to behold over and over and over again! (And again.)

Yes, Jeff M is an incredible frontman with a voice unlike any other (well, ok, there have been those comparisons…), but also Stuart Chatwood’s soundscapes are just delicious – that quiet ownership of the bass, the keyboards, and all those computery things…

And yep, I’ve definitely said this before, but Jeff Burrows is just so thrilling to watch on the drums. That energy! He truly is one of the best drummers out there!

So they came back to Edmonton after three years (or two, or two and a half, depending on the hilarious back and forth between Jeff M and the audience), and of course I had to go.

This time to the Midway Music Hall, and what a great night it was: all the hits, the favs, some newer stuff, and the always loved, please never stop including them, covers of David Bowie, The Tragically Hip, and the aforementioned U2).

This is music that continues to speak to me and touch me deeply. I connect with it on so many levels – the musicality, the many genre influences, the lyrics, the passion.

And seeing it live is feeling, breathing, living it a bazillion-fold. Which, you know, is why I go again and again and again.

And then there was One Bad Son, who opened the night and poured out some pure energy. They definitely know how to put on a great show and rile up the audience!

Now, where is that phonebook?