March 6, 2025, Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium

When it comes to music, there are voices, and then there are voices. And then there is Jeff Martin. The voice of voices.

It’s not often I go to a concert to see the opening act without much concern about who the main band is. Usually, like most people (I assume), I go for whoever is headlining the show and the openers are a welcome bonus.

But when I read “Jeff Martin (or his band The Tea Party) on tour” I don’t hesitate with details like who else will be on stage. Doesn’t matter. Jeff comes to town and I’m there. I’m going.

In fact, this time, it was only when buying the tickets I realized Jeff was the opener, not the main act.

Guess that means a shorter set. Still doesn’t matter. This is the voice, after all. The voice that can sing me that phonebook. My sis and I – we will move mountains to be there. (Or drive across Ireland to a tiny little pub in a tiny little village. Yep – did that!)

The other act: Theory of a Deadman. Oh, cool. I know them from the radio, pretty sure I like their songs too. Happy bonus!

Beside, my theory has always been, you get tickets for something – go for everything. Arrive early for the opening act; you never know, maybe you find a new band to love. Stay until the last note, until the houselights go on. Screw beating the traffic. This is music.

So yah, maybe we bought the tickets because of Jeff, but we will stay for Theory of a Deadman.

Jeff Martin. aka The Voice

Jeff without The Tea Party feels like a conversation illustrated with music than a rock concert. (And where the audience provides our side of the chat through applause, whistles, and woo hoos (and the occasion brave soul who yells out things like “Move back!!! (to Canada)). And boy, do I appreciate this conversation.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE The Tea Party live. LOVE! And if you read this blog, it should be obvious I love a good rock concert. LOVE!

But a more intimate night with story-telling between the songs – sign me up anytime! Yes, that voice can sing like no other. But damn, Jeff is a great story-teller, too.

Everything about Jeff solo feels set up to bring that intimacy and conversation. The few times I’ve seen him without the band, the venues are smaller, and, therefore, the distance between artist and audience physically closer.

The simplicity and casualness of the stage – just Jeff Martin sitting on a stool with his guitar, a foot stompy drum thing, a foot pedal for some other sounds. (And that voice.)

And the moments between songs, the conversation, aren’t just introductions to the next song. Jeff engages us, addresses us, talks to us – breaking that barrier with humour and personableness.

And then he sings. And we soar.

And then he strums those guitars. And we shiver.

I’ve made a lot of noise over Jeff’s voice in pretty much every single post I write about Jeff or The Tea Party and I always will, but he is also one of the best guitarists ever, if not the best. The things he does with his guitars! Tuning them to sound like a sitar or other instruments, the songs he writes, the emotion of the playing. Everything. He is truly gifted.

I can not get enough.

But sadly it is indeed a shorter set. And too soon it ended, the crowd nice and warm for Theory of a Deadman, but my sis and I always wishing for more.

Theory of a Deadman

Because we were there for Jeff, and neither of us had seen Theory of a Deadman live before, we had no idea what to expect for this main part of the show.

What we got was a brilliant concert, a brilliant concept, and an amazing cap to top the Jeff Martin night off.

The concept – a house party the band are at, but the party sucks so they head down to the basement to hang out and jam. The set up was perfect: the house projected on the screen, various party sounds through the speakers, a muffled conversation, and then the boys walk down the stairs to the ‘basement.’

The basement, with groovy 70s themed wallpaper, shag carpet, chairs, and even the old box tv! The band all sat on swivel chairs and lounge-y chairs. Perfectly continuing this feeling of intimacy from Jeff Martin’s set.

Not gonna lie, the 50 plus year old in me appreciates this – these bands are aging too and they deserve to sit! lol! Maybe they can last through a tour standing, maybe they don’t get the joint pain I do. And maybe the two are not connected at all and a theme is just a theme, but having a theme that makes it perfectly natural for the band to sit through their set is genius!

The theme carried through the show with someone’s mom coming into the basement to gather the laundry, and so on. They even invited 3 members of the audience to come hang out in the basement (ON STAGE!) in the lounge-y chairs. Can you even imagine?!

And oh yah! I do know this band! I love these songs! The Journey mash of songs was awesome and hilarious. The encore of Hallelujah, sublime!

(This lighting kills me! It’s so cool!)

And clearly the crowd that came for the main band, and those like us who came for Jeff loved them!

What a great night, indeed.