Kreviazuk Revisited

The Chantal Kreviazuk and Edmonton Symphony Orchestra concert I went to on November 1st confirmed that there are no bad performances at the Winspear. I've enjoyed many inspiring shows at the Winspear (Rufus Wainwright, Sarah Slean) and last Monday's event did not digress. Though we were in what are technically the nosebleeds of the venue, the acoustics were paramount and our view was what was to be expected (though I was jealous of the woman in front of us for having
brought binoculars). Chantal, as we are now on a first-name-basis, revived in me a nostalgia that transported me back to a time of innocence and first-love giddiness. I have to admit that I did not remain a consistent Kreviazuk fan throughout the years and have thus missed a lot of her progression as an artist. Like most children of the '90s, much of my Kreviazuk appreciation comes from her 1997 hits on the Under These Rocks and Stones album and her infamous cover of "Leaving on a Jet Plane". So, when Chantal busted-out "Time" with her mesmerizing piano play and diva stylistics, I was whisked back to a time when I was a Club-Monaco-sweatshirt-wearing, F.R.I.E.N.D.S-watching teen. Adolescence, scarring as it was, was a time when I had an open heart and was unjaded about the world. Chantal unlocked those same emotions in me during her performance. I suddenly felt the overwhelming feeling of invincibility that I had when I was a teen, a care-free optimism that is only possible through the eyes of a self-absorbed, naive teenager. I was similarly jolted by "Surrounded", especially because of the back story to the song (it's about Chantal's first love, an outgoing, kind, and extremely artistic young man who sadly took his own life). As the songs were originally written for piano accompaniment, having the orchestra in the performance made for a grandiose, theatrical sound. During the concert I realized that this is my ultimate concert experience, going to a well-designed venue, sitting in comfortable seats, faintly experiencing nostalgia, and being inspired by musical genius. As I left the concert and continued on with my life, I was left with bit of teen fearlessness and a hope that my jaded adult worldview would be instilled with a hint of adolescent optimism.