Review: Broken Social Scene at The Orange Peel

For those of you who don’t know, it’s illegal for members of Broken Social Scene to stand still while on stage. If anyone in the all-star ensemble ceases motion during a performance, they will be fined by frontman Kevin Drew and forced to forfeit their Canadian Medicare coverage. .

And yet they all sustain this momentum with what appears to be genuine glee, making a convincing statement that they truly enjoy each other’s company, even — and possibly especially — when 10 or more of their ranks are giving the most sonically and visually engaging show possible for an ensemble of that size.

At The Orange Peel on Sept. 24, part of a fairly brief fall tour, Broken Social Scene celebrated the 20th anniversary of its album You Forgot It in People, from which eight tracks were played. The organized chaos under the lights was aided by comparable tightrope walking from the venue’s audio team, which delivered an exceptional sound mix that at times blended five guitars and a horn section so that each instrument was discernible.

Along with the impressive sights and sounds, the artists showed off their range not only on the vocal front — nearly everyone had a mic, and all who did attacked with confidence — but by switching instruments. As soon as one become accustomed with fellow founding member Brendan Canning on guitar, he’d switch to bass; and when the brass trio — including Asheville-based musician/photographer Dave Hodge — wasn’t layering beautiful harmonies, they were traversing the stage to take on auxiliary percussion or picking up a guitar.

In keeping with the band’s history of featuring talented female vocalists, Jill Harris ably stood where Feist and Emily Haines have excelled, and teamed with fellow Canadian and opening act Hannah Georgas to close things out with the repetitive yet hypnotic “Anthems for a Seventeen Year‐Old Girl.”

Gifted so much from the stacked lineup, the Asheville crowd returned the favor with rampant appreciation, prompting Drew to note that he and his bandmates wouldn’t forget this night. Whether he says that to all the rooms is a question for Broken Social Scene roadies and groupies, but even if it is just a line, it came after a night where the full ensemble definitely got to keep its health care.

(Photos by Jonny Leather)