In the Boneyard: The Hidden Cameras with the Toronto Dance Theatre

Last year's collaboration between the Hidden Cameras and the Toronto Dance Theatre was a triumphant merging of ideas that blurred the lines between music and dance, and raised the bar for the already life-affirming Hidden Cameras gigs. Building on this coup, lead Camera Joel Gibb and the TDT found some new inspiration to take their partnership further with "In the Boneyard," which doubled as an early preview for the next Hidden Cameras record, Awoo, expected in the spring. On a bare stage featuring only a piece of scaffolding to house the '20s attire-clad, barefoot performers, the performance began on a macabre note with Gibb strumming away on a dark open chord while dancers assumed the role of zombies. Right when the "boneyard" motif seemed like it would dominate the show, the Hidden Cameras switched both the mood and the imaginary setting into something joyous. Gibb appeared solo for a song and a humble video showing the man as a not-so-private dancer at the beach. When the two teams did their celebratory role reversal, band members used bone props as percussion pieces, while the dancers performed an astute instrumental. The most enjoyable moment, however, was during the band's rousing performance of "Lollipop," when the inexhaustible dancers made it interactive, running into the audience to distribute lollipops. If there was one disappointment on this night it was the crowd. Known for their charismatic ways of luring concertgoers to get up and dance, the band dealt with an audience that seemed full of stiff, older theatre members, who may not have understood that the band's M.O. involves a little love in return. People finally got up on their feet for the finale though. It was yet another inspirational gig that transcended the typical concert experience and proved that no one does a gig like the Hidden Cameras.