Tim, Amanda & Grant with their “moo-ha-ha-we’re-so-sneaky” poses

Jill Barber played a phenomenal show at Wakefield, Québec’s Black Sheep Inn this past Friday. As memorable as the performance, the musicians, and her voice were… what will etch this evening into my brain most definitively was the stealthy sheneniganning that took place leading up to the show.

Jill’s sweetheart Grant Lawrence (from cbc3 radio) swooped in from the west coast to surprise her. Amanda was helping him keep things on the down-low while making pre-show dinner plans with Jill. And finally, John and I provided the wheels to Wakefield. So there was some luggage-hiding, giggling over text-messaging, Grant sitting in the shadows by the bar while Jill arrived to the homey Kaffé 1870 for dinner, then Amanda saying ‘Gee, doesn’t that guy look like Grant???’… then the happy surprise. It was as heart-warming as the comfort food we tucked into.

Jill and four-fifths of her band at Kaffé 1870

And then the show. Jill wowed the packed Inn, she charmed us all with her vocals, humour, and how obviously she was enjoying herself while performing. She weaved between her usual folkier tunes and her more recently released 40’s-inspired pieces — and somehow, everything fit seamlessly. It was astounding that all her bandmates and their multiple instruments fit on the stage — and they blew us away with unbelieveable musicianship, and yet no one competed for attention.

This is the last song of the evening, concluding their second encore:

… performed acoustically and without mics. (Apologies for the lack of picture quality; low lighting makes for dark movies!)

I’m thrilled to have played a part (however puny!) in bringing a happy surprise to Jill that night, because she certainly made my evening with her amazing performance.

good peeps, in the memory bank, music Amanda Putz, Grant Lawrence, Jill Barber, The Black Sheep Inn