By: Shannon Bryan November 6, 2013
Heading down to The Danforth on a Saturday night is always something to look forward to. Finally getting to cross Joel Plaskett off your bucket list, well, that’s even better.
Accompanied by his father, Bill Plaskett, who is one heck of a picker in his own right, Joel kicked things off with a personal favourite, “Harbor Boys,” a track off his latest album, Scrappy Happiness. The crowd quietly sang along, letting his east coast rattle carry through. With the room dark and the stage dimly lit, it was easy to get lost in the music. Cheering erupted at the end of every song, which quickly brought you back to reality as the sold out “quiet and excitable” crowd made their appearance.
Bill Plaskett joined his son on stage throughout the night, occasionally backing the track, singing the song in it’s entirety or simply strumming in key. As a folk legend himself, it was a treat to see the two play side-by-side and compliment each other in a way that only a father-son duo can.
Between each song they humoured the crowd, sharing stories with an east coast flair. Joel was especially grateful and expressed his love for the city of Toronto before leading into “Love this Town” off of his 2005 solo album La De Da. As the night came to an end, the Plaskett men took to the stage for the encore, rightfully playing to a standing, cheering crowd.
The stripped down evening far exceeded all expectations and was best described by one concert-goer, proclaiming, “I knew it was going to be a great set, but that was beautiful.”