B l u e P a r a d e - A S a r a h S l e a n F a n s i t e
|
St. John�s people thirsty for music � Slean
With her big blue eyes and her cute, charming demeanor, Sarah Slean prepared for her shows with a quick sound-check on Friday afternoon. Although she didn�t get much time to relax, the singer was still incredibly excited about her return to St. John�s.
This weekend marked Slean�s second visit to the city. This past Friday and Saturday, the woman behind such recent hits as �Sweet Ones� and �Weight� played three sold-out shows at the LSPU Hall. This is a change in venue from her first visit here in March, when she performed two solo shows at the Ship Inn.
�When I came here last time � or my first time � I was completely blown over,� said Slean. �I couldn�t believe myself.� As she first walked into the Ship, her impressions were sketchy. The star was shown to her dressing room � the kitchen � and showered with the best in Newfoundland drink: Screech and Coke.
Yet the place quickly grew on her. �It was just one pleasant surprise after the other,� she recalled. To her, the Ship Inn had the atmosphere of a real, traditional pub, where any moment she could bump into the likes of James Joyce.
That level of culture was just one of the many differences Slean found between St. John�s and other cities she has played. �People were just thirsty for [the music], and so open to it, and [with] rapt attention,� she said of her local fans. �That�s something you don�t really see in Toronto or out on the west coast.�
With a lack of big name acts visiting Newfoundland, the locals are eager for any performances they get the chance to see. �People are rabid. They soak it up,� she said. �They want it really bad.�
This time around, Slean was shown a different mindset, as she played a theatre, not a pub. She feels most at home in dark theatres, such as the LSPU Hall, where the whole audience becomes a single entity. �[It�s] one audience that gasps with you, and laughs at you.� Outside of a theatre, performing is different. �When you play in a pub, especially when you�re playing by yourself, it�s like �Okay, there�s work to be done here . . . I have to invite these people to my party,� she explained. �You have to win them.�
Slean has a deep love for the theatre, which she considers crucial for today�s culture. �I think the theatre is going to be the thing that � brace yourself � saves modern culture,� she said. �It�s the only thing that you can�t recreate in technology, because its very essence is a moment . . . and it�s given to you in real time.�
While music and movies are becoming more freely available on the Internet, theatre is an experience that can�t be stolen. When something is performed in front of you, Slean says, you feel it ten thousand times more.
Her performance demonstrates her love for theatre even further. The moment she hits the stage, her excitement shines through. She is a strong and dedicated performer; even with technical difficulties on Saturday night, the show went on, as she improvised an acoustic version of her new song �Vertigo.�
While Slean was the obvious star on the stage, her accompanying bassist John Dinsmore filled out the background. His calm manner allowed the singer to dominate the performance. Although her full band, the Night Bugs, couldn�t join her this time, Slean was delighted to bring Dinsmore, as she normally performs with backup.
Though even without accompaniment, she still holds the audience, so great is her stage presence, which will carry through into her future projects. She is currently blending her love of music and love of theatre together, as she works on a musical. Her intention is to fuse together different types of art, where they can say something important, she says. Slean also plans on recording her next album this fall by retreating into the backwoods of Ontario, in an old city hall building furnished with a grand piano.
It�s all part of her plan to change the world through art. �I don�t have any sort of Peace Corps bone in my body . . . and I don�t have the dough to donate to the causes that I love,� she lamented. �But what I want to do, for my own part, is flood the world with meaningful art.� As long as she�s alive, which she jokes will be at least until 95, she will be making art that will open minds and inspire people of all ages.
The demand for Slean�s work in the world is obvious, at least for her fans in St. John�s, where they gave standing ovations on both nights, and were rewarded with a double encore at her final show. While she seemed embarrassed by her fans� adoration, Slean admittedly didn�t want to leave, and promises she will be back soon enough � this time, with her full band.
|