Rich Aucoin @ Biltmore Cabaret -- 10/31/19

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Rich Aucoin has been on his "Death Tour" recently, promoting his latest album Release, and he finally brought it back to Vancouver, returning to the Biltmore Cabaret. But what could be better than a Rich Aucoin show? How about a Rich Aucoin show on Hallowe'en night? With loads of costumes both onstage and off, ranging from the lazy (mine) to the elaborate, it was the perfect night for a show about death.

Opening the night was Vancouver duo Tourist Company. Taylor Swindells and Brenon Parry took the stage in banana costumes, for their space-y alt-rock, kicking off with last year's "Spokane".
Swindells' ethereal vocals filled the room, as they played a collection of songs both from their previous album, the space-race-themed Apollo as well as some recently released songs. Highlights included the slower and incredibly emotional "'Til We Disappear", the frenetic "Conflicted/Restricted" and the driving (and infectious) "Fractured State".


After a brief break, Rich Aucoin introduced the show, dressed as an unmasked Spider-Man, joined only by Tony Dallas on drums (in a full Daft Punk outfit, helmet and all). He began, as he usually does, with a vocal warmup for the crowd: singing along to the 20th Century Fox fanfare. This lead directly into the "opening credits", clips from movies intercut with the names of people at the show, along with a fun/awesome "fact" about them.

After the intro, the set opened with the instrumental title track to the new album Release, Aucoin on synth and Dallas the backbone of the show — even when getting tangled in the decorative cobwebs, he literally didn't miss a beat. While the slow-burn spoken-word of "The Base" got the crowd hyped, the energy erupted into the next song, an old favourite singalong, "Undead".

With lyrics on the projection screen at the back of the stage, the audience screamed along for most of the night; in joy, in defiance, in catharsis, and Rich was right there with everyone. Sometimes literally as he would often hop off the stage and go into the crowd, illuminated only by a handheld bare lightbulb. Along with the lyrics, most of the new songs were accompanied by clips from Alice in Wonderland, as the new album was written to be synced up with the film, Dark Side Of The Rainbow style.

And of course, as is now the Rich Aucoin trademark, he brought out the parachute during "Are You Experiencing?", the rainbow canvas stretching back to fill the entire Biltmore dance floor, as people rushed under it to dance with Rich, or held on to the edges to wave it with the enthusiasm of a 3rd grade gym class. There are few concert experiences I've had that spark more joy (to borrow a phrase) than the parachute.

But as I've said before, no amount of "stage show" would be as fun if there weren't the songs to back it up, and Aucoin absolutely has that. From the unbridled exuberance of "Want To Believe" to the melancholic "The Time" and every emotion in between, the show included some of the most uplifting (and catchy) songs about death you will ever hear, including favourites off the new album like “The Middle” and “The Other”.

After a set that completely flew by, Rich brought the night to an end with one last giant singalong, as he started "It" by asking everyone to put their arm around their neighbour, and then wading into the middle of the crowd while urging the audience not to leave it all in their head.

I've joked to people that Rich Aucoin is one of only two musicians who I will voluntarily stand front-row for, and the ONLY one that will get me to actually dance, because the energy at one of his shows is utterly unparalleled. And not just coming from the stage -- he barely stands still even for a moment -- but in the crowd as well. Aucoin has a talent to bring everyone in the room together, not just as a collection of people standing in the same room watching the same show, but a true shared experience.

And don’t forget to check out Christine’s photos here!

setlist
Release
The Base
Undead
The Middle
The Change
The Self
Want To Believe
The Time
Are You Experiencing?
The Other
It