City and Colour, Jacob Banks and Ben Rogers Offer Melancholy and Vulnerability at Windsor Show

City-and-Colour St. Catherines singer/songwriter Dallas Green brought City and Colour to Caesars Windsor last night for an evening of melancholy and vulnerability. The popular singer, also known for his work with Alexisonfire, packed The Colosseum for a 20-song set spanning City and Colour’s six album discography. He also brought along British soul/R&B singer Jacob Banks and Vancouver Americana singer Ben Rogers.

City and Colour played under a very dark, but colourful flow of lights, setting an extremely dramatic mood for the emotive song choices. He concentrated heavily on his latest album A Pill For Loneliness and the sophomore album Bring Me Your Love – making up nearly half of the entire setlist. Die-hards were treated to some deep album cut like Hello, I’m in Delaware from the 2005 debut album Sometimes, so there was a bit of something for everyone.

Green is a great vocalist with sensational storytelling ability and that’s something fans have come to expect at a City and Colour show. Through new relationship songs like Astronaut and Strangers to masterworks like Sleeping Sickness, which featured Tragically Hip vocalist Gord Downie on its original recording, Green can captivate and hit the sentiments hard.

Opener Ben Rogers, who became the first outside act signed to Green’s Still Records last year, started a bit earlier than expected and had a smaller turnout than he would have appreciated, but he performed well, although seemingly distracted and disinterested by the near empty hall. Had there been an audience, they would have seen the country-tinged folk-rocker perform tracks from his new album Wildfire. His voice is smooth and easy to listen to and his songs are raw and exposed.

Jacob Banks had the benefit of hitting the stage around 7:30 when the original show was scheduled to begin, so his audience was substantially bigger. His voice was also substantially larger than both Green and Rogers combined. Banks is a stunning performer, coming across as a cross between Joe Cocker, Seal and John Legend, with a smooth, but gravelly voice.

The entire audience was in awe with Banks, even those who had never heard him before. It was one of the most unexpected experiences at a concert this year and has surely gained the UK soul man some new fans. He’s only released one album and three EPs thus far, but he’s got what seems to be a lifetime’s worth of music – he’s an old soul, if you will. The highlight of the show was his 2017 single Chainsmoking, which was a combination of traditional slave music with a bit of blues and pop. It’s a breathtaking song that give you goose bumps when you hear it.

City and Colour
Caesars Windsor
Nov. 20, 2019