Last night proved very special for both Leith Ross and their Vancouver fans; it marked a lot of firsts. Not only the first night of the North American leg of Ross's first tour ever, it was also the night their debut album To Learn was let loose into the world.
Kicking off the set with album opener "5am," Ross was gently bathed in a cool white light that drenched the six-piece band and caused a hush to wash over the audience. The sold out crowd was quiet and attentive listening to Ross' delicate vocals float above the band — so focused, in fact, that you could hear the quiet tinkle of ice being dropped into a glass at the bar during the song.
"Hello!" Ross greeted their fans followed by a bright, toothy grin. "Hi, thank you for being here! Tonight is gonna be different from the rest of the tour because I'll be playing old songs for the first time with a big band." They added that they'd be playing some songs from the new record as well, but the crowd wouldn't know any of them because, "the album just dropped 30 minutes ago!"
"I love your haircut!" yelled a fan from the crowd, referencing the recent (over ten-inch) chop the artist recently described as "a metaphor for change, an expression of my queerness, a demonstration of community and how essential it is, the passing of time, and this record."
Highlights from the show included the band's renditions of "Monogamy," "I'd Have to Think About It" and "Music Box" which had everyone in the audience holding one another, gently swaying and singing along, some with gentle tears in their eyes.
The deeply honest and personal connection Ross has with their fans was palpable. From the way they made their show interactive by answering fan questions pulled from a box — would you want to be a worm or a slug? What was your favourite song to write? — the answer to the latter was "Ask First," for the record.
"This is my favourite part of the show," Ross said into the mic — their grin now a permanent fixture on their face — before launching into the segment when Ross introduces their bandmates (all great artists in their own right) and performs one of their songs together. Vancouver was treated to a song from Ella Korth, who plays guitar, mandolin and banjo in Ross' band.
After closing out their set with "(You) on My Arm," Ross teased the crowd about how funny encores are and how it's "this silly little thing we do." But tradition is as tradition does, and the band left the stage for a moment as the crowd fell into their customary clap and chant for "one more song!"
"I wonder what they're gonna play!" Ross said, laughing into the mic as they emerged from the side stage. "Hmmm, what a mystery," they giggled.
"Everyone ready for a one minute 39 second sing-a-long?" Ross asked the crowd before diving into a performance of their most loved single, "We'll Never Have Sex." The crowd belted every lyric along with them until they were released into the warm night, each sporting a grin wide enough to match Ross's.
Kicking off the set with album opener "5am," Ross was gently bathed in a cool white light that drenched the six-piece band and caused a hush to wash over the audience. The sold out crowd was quiet and attentive listening to Ross' delicate vocals float above the band — so focused, in fact, that you could hear the quiet tinkle of ice being dropped into a glass at the bar during the song.
"Hello!" Ross greeted their fans followed by a bright, toothy grin. "Hi, thank you for being here! Tonight is gonna be different from the rest of the tour because I'll be playing old songs for the first time with a big band." They added that they'd be playing some songs from the new record as well, but the crowd wouldn't know any of them because, "the album just dropped 30 minutes ago!"
"I love your haircut!" yelled a fan from the crowd, referencing the recent (over ten-inch) chop the artist recently described as "a metaphor for change, an expression of my queerness, a demonstration of community and how essential it is, the passing of time, and this record."
Highlights from the show included the band's renditions of "Monogamy," "I'd Have to Think About It" and "Music Box" which had everyone in the audience holding one another, gently swaying and singing along, some with gentle tears in their eyes.
The deeply honest and personal connection Ross has with their fans was palpable. From the way they made their show interactive by answering fan questions pulled from a box — would you want to be a worm or a slug? What was your favourite song to write? — the answer to the latter was "Ask First," for the record.
"This is my favourite part of the show," Ross said into the mic — their grin now a permanent fixture on their face — before launching into the segment when Ross introduces their bandmates (all great artists in their own right) and performs one of their songs together. Vancouver was treated to a song from Ella Korth, who plays guitar, mandolin and banjo in Ross' band.
After closing out their set with "(You) on My Arm," Ross teased the crowd about how funny encores are and how it's "this silly little thing we do." But tradition is as tradition does, and the band left the stage for a moment as the crowd fell into their customary clap and chant for "one more song!"
"I wonder what they're gonna play!" Ross said, laughing into the mic as they emerged from the side stage. "Hmmm, what a mystery," they giggled.
"Everyone ready for a one minute 39 second sing-a-long?" Ross asked the crowd before diving into a performance of their most loved single, "We'll Never Have Sex." The crowd belted every lyric along with them until they were released into the warm night, each sporting a grin wide enough to match Ross's.
