Fred Eaglesmith Live at Hugh's Room, Friday November 30, 2018


2018.11.30
Fred Eaglesmith – November 30, 2018 – Hugh’s Room, Toronto

Fred Eaglesmith rarely plays Toronto, and he mightn’t think he’s popular here, as he introduced the show saying “Hey everyone, welcome to Toronto!” One is more likely to catch Eaglesmith in legion halls across rural Ontario than in Toronto or even Ontario cities. His last appearances here were spread years apart, at the Horseshoe and the Cadillac Lounge, respectively.
After introducing the audience to Toronto, Eaglesmith introduced his son Billy Blue, who sang with his dad on the first few songs. The kid’s mother aka Fred’s wife Tiff Ginn joined them on stage and it seemed Fred’s family replaced his band. It was hard to imagine young Billy Blue singing along with Fred’s songs of regret and addiction, but he left the stage after singing an ode to his dog.
Fred continued with “I’m Dangerous,” “I Like Trains,” “105;” about driving, and “Freight Train,” for another dose of trains. Eaglesmith hopped on one as a teenager to head west and start his singing career. His eponymous first album was released in 1980, and Fred has built a steady, loyal base of serious fans through the following decades.
Tonight, he described himself as “between drinks,” explaining his last one was long ago, but he wasn’t ruling out having another, eventually. Eaglesmith also likes to tell a lot of jokes and road stories, but he added a lot of marijuana and hash jokes through the show, in the wake of legalization.
“Cigarette Machine” was worked into a longer arrangement, and Fred continued his light hearted repartee between his mournful songs. Tiff Ginn sang solo, and together they played Eaglesmith favourites like “Spookin’ The Horses” and “Betty Oshawa.”
Despite Eaglesmith’s crusty memories of hippies and weed smoking, he ultimately praised those days at some length near the end of his second set. He spoke of gentler times in his hippie days compared to what he suggested is now a more hostile society. The couple slipped into “Trucker Speed” with some typically elegant accordion playing from Ginn. Fred bade the audience good night before returning for a brief encore in the form of his light hearted ode to falling in love, “Mr. Rainbow.”

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