CITIZEN COPE @ Cabaret Du Musee

By Döc Holidæ - Phantastiq Cypha - 11/28/2008

"I love you!” “Oh my god he’s so hot” “Cope I want to have your babies!”

These are just some of the things I heard screamed at Citizen Cope in his concert at Le Cabaret Juste Pour Rire on Friday. I can’t say I was shocked, Citizen Cope was sitting on a stool in center stage with a guitar in his hands, a scruffy beard and dreads. Unfortunately I got to the show 20 minutes late and there wasn’t much chance for me to get close to the stage. I was however able to secure a nice spot next to the sound man at the back. The first thing I noticed about Citizen  from back there was the simplicity of the stage presence, there were no big background displays, no backup band or singers, it was just an intimate performance with a couple hundred people. It felt like I was at a friend’s house and we were in a dimly lit basement when someone takes up a guitar and starts to sing. Adding to the intimacy was the fact that everyone knew all the lyrics to pretty much every song and sang along. Usually I would be annoyed by this, it’s the classic feeling of “I didn’t pay to hear Joe Nobody sing” but it in this case it was nice. It created a strong connection between the audience and the artist. The crowd was never singing loud enough to drown out Citizen on stage; just enough to be his backup singers and some people were clapping to make up the percussion. In the end I can understand why he doesn’t need to travel with backup, because the audience is more than happy to make up for it.

I took full advantage of my view point, enjoying the different reactions whether it was women screaming as Citizen performed the softer songs or men bobbing their heads as he performed tracks like “Bullet and a Target”. The song that I found the most interesting was “Somehow”, when the couple next to me started making out. It was as if the song made them want each other more than ever. It was obvious that Citizen Cope wasn’t just a performer, he and his music were the catalyst that connected people.

As for my favourite song, it’s hard to pick just one. “Bullet and a Target” has an incredible message and the song is just great. You can feel that somewhat vulnerable side of it when you listen to him sing. He also performed “My Way Home” which is another great track and seeing it live only made it better. In the end I can say that “Son’s Gonna Rise”, was the first song I ever heard him perform and will always be my go to Citizen Cope track.

Now I can rant and rave about how amazing the performances were, how deep the message was and how in tune the artist was with the crowd but that doesn’t give you the sense of being there. I recommend getting your hands on one (or all) of Citizen Cope’s albums, sitting in your room or at your desk and just listening. Don’t think about anything, just enjoy the music. Next time he comes to town go to the show and see for yourself how great you feel afterwards.

Tune into The Phantastic Cypha with Doc Holidae every Friday from 10AM – 12PM