Show Report

Show Report: Showcase Festival, Hamilton
August 22, 1999



Ron Hawkins and the Rusty Nails made their much-anticipated return to Hamilton at the Showcase Festival, an all-weekend outdoors event in a tent behind the Hudson. Showtime was 6:30 pm, a lot earlier than usual.

As it turned out, the Nails were the only out of town act on Sunday's bill (besides the headlining Rheostatics). Why they weren't higher up on the bill, I don't know. Carole Pope had higher billing, I guess you'd have to ask the promoters why.

The guys were sporting a lot more casual dress than usual. Ron must've relaxed the dress code due to the heat! The set itself was quite short, 45 minutes and no encore (even though the crowd of 75 or so tried really hard). The sound was all over the place, the saxophones inaudible for most of the set, and Ron's guitar going from quiet to loud and back again. Plus, I was swarmed with flying ants for most of the set. But still, it was Ron Hawkins and the Rusty Nails, who seemingly cannot have a bad show, and I'm certainly not complaining!

The performance was a lot more loose than usual as well. Towards the end of Be My Alibi, Mark apparently forgot that the song doesn't quite end after the "You be my Edgar Berg, and I'll be your Charlie McCarthy.." line and played the ending drum bit. Ron jokingly explained that Mark woke up in a gutter covered in draino earlier in the day, and it was amazing that he could even play in his condition. Later, Ron started Pokerface, but after the intro part something was off with his guitar. The capo was on the wrong fret, he explained to us musically uninclined. I've never seen the guys flub part of a song (except for the occasional laughing through the vocals) until tonight. Which is fine, don't get me wrong. It's the little things that make a show memorable, and adds to the fun. Besides, it's not like it was a big show anyways. It looked like everyone who was there was there to see the Nails, and had a helluva time!

My hilights of the show:
- heard a lot of the newer songs. Maybe they're trying to familiarize us with the new material, new album perhaps?
- finally heard Terminal City. I liked it, but Turpentine is still my favorite "new" song
- Ron talked to the crowd a lot. SO I should have lots more stuff for the quotes page, once I try to remember what he said
- in his glasses and hat, Ron beared a passing resemblance to Bono in U2's Sweetest Thing video

That's about it. The show was done before I realized it. It made me realize that Ron has written a lot of songs post-Lowest of the Low, a lot of good songs. I was disappointed that they didn't play some of my favorites, but I also remember back when a Nails' show was half new stuff, half Low covers. The guys certainly have come a long way, and I hope it'll translate into lots of success in the upcoming months.




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