Cory Monteith with Bonnie Dune at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, May 14 2011. Victoria Defoe photo
Review and photos – Bonnie Dune at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, May 14 2011
– review and photos by Victoria DeFoe
Saturday night at Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom, Glee’s Cory Monteith took the stage with his band Bonnie Dune. Supporting acts Ben Sigston and Langley’s The Left nearly stole the show with incredible energetic performances that got the crowd right and ready for the main act to play.
Ben Sigston was the first to take to the stage. The Top 20 Peak Performance Artist mesmerized the audience with his impressive vocals and crowd pleasing songs. He played a short set but it was clear he gained many new listeners.
Next up, The Left’s set proved to be my favourite performance of the evening. From the minute they took the stage they demanded attention with a stage presence that was by far the strongest of all three bands. They interacted well with the crowd and lead guitarist Carl Davis’ solos had the listeners going crazy for more. The band’s first song to make it to radio, “Drinking About You”, had the crowd moving to the music and singing along. When their set was over you couldn’t help but wish it had been longer
When Bonnie Dune finally made their appearance the crowd exploded with new-found energy. The only question was, was it excitement to hear the band’s laidback summer tunes or excitement at the chance to share the same air as the Glee star?
Bonnie Dune at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, May 14 2011. Victoria Defoe photo
Bonnie Dune opened their set with “Sea Sick”, possibly the band’s most popular song. Yet it seemed most of the audience was consumed with screaming Monteith’s name rather than singing along with the catchy tune.
However, the rest of the band didn’t seem to mind the obvious focus on Monteith. Lead singer and guitarist Justin Wilczynski, bassist Joshua Kerr and guitarist Seth Roberts were full of smiles along with newcomer keyboardist Jacob Wick and seemed to just genuinely love the chance to be playing music. The band played a short, nine-song, forty-minute set, and when they left the stage the crowd chanted “Go Canucks go” until the band came out for an encore. They concluded the show with the track “Better View”.
Bonnie Dune at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, May 14 2011. Victoria Defoe photo
Throughout the entire Bonnie Dune set, you couldn’t help but feel summer creeping up on you despite the pouring Vancouver rain outside. Their songs transfer you to a place where you feel like you are on the beach relaxing listening to your favourite band while the sun beats down on you from up above.
I look forward to when the band releases their full length record and in turn plays a longer set but I would recommend their show to anyone looking to hear an indie-rock band that says “summer’s here”. With Wilczynski ‘s crisp vocals and the fun atmosphere on stage, by the end of the show people who showed up just to catch a glimpse on Monteith left with a new favourite band.
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