Last month, Spencer Krug released his latest album Same Fangs, and has been on a tour throughout western Canada, culminating with a show here in Vancouver. And as soon as it was announced at St. James Hall, I knew that was the absolute perfect venue to see the prolific singer do a solo piano show.

Opening the night was Elbow Kiss, who was also featured on Krug’s new album. They took the stage alone with an acoustic guitar, starting with “No Way Around” as their lovely voice drifted through the room. Between each song, they told brief stories as introductions, evoking Garry Oak Meadow on “Palm of Your Eye” and the strange manifestation of “Josephine”. They wrapped up with their latest single, “Blue Ember”, and one more transfixing song I didn’t catch the name of, for a wonderful set.

Soon after, Spencer Krug took a seat behind the grand piano on stage. He quipped about starting a show being the hardest part before launching into “The Fog”, his fingers flying over the piano while his howling vocals filled the old church.

From there, he wove through his entire library, touching on releases under his own name like the piano variation of “How We Have to Live”, to when he was Moonface with the powerful intensity of “Barbarian I” and its sequel, and back through a few Sunset Rubdown tunes like “Us Ones In Between”. He even reworked the old Wolf Parade song “I’ll Believe in Anything”, giving it a heart wrenching piano version for its renewed popularity.

Near the end of the set, Elbow Kiss joined him for a few songs off Same Fangs, their voices intertwining beautifully on “Berserker Mode” and playing off each other on the gorgeous “Pinecone King”.

At that point, Krug noted it would be a great time for the encore, jokingly running behind the curtain and immediately reappearing for a pair of my favourites from any of his projects; first the haunting “City Wrecker” and then “Julia With Blue Jeans On”, which always floors me live, but even more so in this venue, as it built to a tear-inducing finish.

As the set was wrapping up, Krug self-effacingly cracked that he was always shocked people watch a man at a piano for so long. But I could’ve watched him play all night, and I don’t think I was the only one. For the whole show, the crowd was completely rapt; silent during each song and then exploding with applause once the final note drifted away, and giving a well deserved ovation once the show was done.

setlist
The Fog
My Puppeteer
How We Have to Live
Fast Peter
Barbarian I
Barbarian II
The Shadow
Us Ones in Between
A Day in the Graveyard II
I’ll Believe in Anything
Timebomb
Berserker Mode
Pinecone King
”Encore”
City Wrecker
Julia with Blue Jeans On