Half Moon Run Gives a Show Everybody Wants

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Photos by Owen Maxwell

Closing out the Dragon Boat Festival's concert series, Half Moon Run, Kasador and Darcy's brought the heat, and only a touch of rain for a concert that was as diverse as it was impressive. From dance to 70s charm and a set that everyone came out to sing to, it was a night to truly make this staples concert series shine as one of Ottawa's finest yearly traditions.

Kasador:

Starting the night off with some simple and effective party rock, Kasador started to move the crowd. Throwing t-shirts into the crowd while playing through their set, they were clearly aiming to please with their eccentric and fun-seeking attitude on stage. Delivering a tight set with enough grooves to keep the crowd shaking, they had earned it when they blasted through a cover of "Last Night" near the end of their set.

Darcys

Bringing the neon and palm trees on stage to match their updated Miami aesthetic, the duo more than filled out the sound with their huge riffs and clever use of triggered backing instruments. Working the stage and crowd, while making the most of their simultaneously cheesy and classic look, they earned the crowd's attention and respect. Bringing out a wacky-inflatable-arm-flailing-tube-man before throwing in a cover of Prince's "Kiss" they brought a set that focused on fun while still taking themselves seriously.

Half Moon Run

Between openers like "21 Gun Salute" and "Figure It Out" members of the band proved their versatility in spades as they switched between guitar and drums, among a myriad of other instruments. By the time "Unofferable" swelled onto the stage their string quartet was in full swing, offering an even fuller and richer sound to their already enticing offerings.

Moving into tracks "Works Itself Out" and "Hands In The Garden" they took advantage of their stage space, bringing guitar solos way out onto the ground level monitors to bring the show even closer to the crowd. Breaking into drums at center-stage for "Then Again" Devon went on to throw his drums sticks out quite the distance into the crowd before jumping into the pit for a bit of fun.

Taking things to an emotional peak, "Call Me In The Afternoon" and "Drug You" found the band pushing their reserved side to great use. Bringing the quartet close around them for "Then Again" they gave a real sense of intimacy to their larger set as they broke down the barriers between the two sets of players.

Bringing the set towards its finale, "Sun Leads Me On" started to bring their warm and shining riffs back out through the slow-burning track. Picking up the pace on "Turn Your Love" they moved kicked the crowd into a chanting and clapping frenzy as the all too familiar song of theirs had even their most passive fans excited. Ending on their most progressive and electronic "Consider Yourself" the band thrashed out all their excess energy as the lighting went on overdrive. Really giving it all on stage with some high-energy antics, they even gave some out of character mouth-guitar playing to end their set.

They returned after a mere few seconds off stage to keep the crowd on their toes playing through "Fire Escape" and "She Wants To Know" as the crowd sang more than ever. "Full Circle" however brought the crowd to a vocal level rendering the band's singing almost moot, screaming out as the band decided to pantomime at times rather than sing. Returning for a tiny second encore they decided to close things out in a tribute to Leonard Cohen, playing his song "Suzanne" to the loud appreciation of the crowd.

Setlist:
21 Gun Salute
Figure Out
Unofferable
Works Itself Out
Hands In The Garden
Then Again
Call Me In The Afternoon
Drug You
Need It
Devil May Care
Everybody Wants
Give Up
Sun Leads Me On
Turn Your Love
Consider Yourself
Encore
Fire Escape
She Wants To Know
Full Circle
Encore 2:
Suzanne (Leonard Cohen Cover)