Concert Reviews

Rebecca Blissett

Dead Man’s Bones
At Venue on Saturday, October 24

Ryan Gosling might have been the marquee attraction, but what made Dead Man's Bones borderline brilliant at Venue was that he was anything but the star of the show. Against all odds, it was a young local named Jane Agyeman who turned in the night's most killer performance.

The Grade 11 student found herself on-stage as a member of the Everybody Loves Ghosts choir, which was made of up teens from North Vancouver's Carson Graham secondary. Her showstopping turn came approximately halfway through a night that was as much about her and her classmates as it was about the band that the capacity crowd was there to see.

Stepping out from the choir, Agyeman took her place behind a backlit white sheet, performing in silhouette. As Gosling tapped his inner Lee Hazlewood on guitar, Agyeman went all Nancy Sinatra on a devastating rendition of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)”. Cool as the retro gem sounded at the beginning of Kill Bill Vol. 1, here it was nothing less than spine-tingling, the kid nailing every drama-drenched note. The second it was all over, the Venue crowd went appropriately ape-shit, causing the singer to stand there grinning like she'd had the most memorable moment of her young life.

That was nothing compared with the smile on Gosling's face. “How do we follow that?” he asked, looking genuinely awestruck.

To the credit of Dead Man's Bones—which included cofounder Zach Shields and hired guns Jason Pickersgill (bass), Ryan Shields (drums), and Andye Jamieson (vocals)—the band came pretty close numerous times. Not even the boorishness of the crowd (see Payback Time for a full breakdown) managed to detract from the many high points, including the black-mass majesty of “My Body's a Zombie for You”, the funereal-folk chiller “Flowers Grow Out of My Grave”, and the country-noir comedown “Werewolf Heart”.

Thanks to the Oscar-nominated Gosling's status as a legitimate Hollywood star, he could probably have afforded to hire U2's set designer and then enlisted the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for help on the back line. What was coolest about the show was the way it had a totally endearing DIY, lo-fi feel to it. A stage-spanning backdrop consisted of a haunted house and tombstone-studded landscape cut out of black fabric, illuminated by tiny white Christmas lights. Just as impressive was the homemade-movie segment of the evening, when a grainy black-and-white short was projected onto a sheet pulled taut by Gosling and Shields. As for the Everybody Loves Ghosts choir, they were all dressed in hooded white robes with black hearts on the breasts, their faces made up to look like they were headed to a Mexican Day of the Dead celebration. In a nice touch, conductor Kate Polsky sported a Grim Reaper–brand cloak with a skeleton on the back.

Things got off to a decidedly surreal start with Gosling and Shields staying in the shadows while a dude dressed as a range-riding ghost (a white-linen costume topped by a white cowboy hat) delivered a haunting version of Hank Williams's “Ramblin' Man”. Or at least it sounded like that.

That intro was an early sign that two main Dead Men were happy to play supporting roles for chunks of the set, switching up on keyboards, guitars, and second drum kit. And when Gosling and Shields were on the mike, one thing stood out: both guys looked thrilled to be there. Gracious didn't begin to describe them, as they literally beamed every time the 12-strong choir nailed it.

And the choir's members were just as enamoured of Dead Man's Bones. That was obvious from the way they spent good chunks of the night dancing like they'd just landed full-time employment with the Polyphonic Spree. Whether it was everyone on-stage hitting the deck en masse following the creep-pop wonder “Pa Pa Power”, or the Elvis-from-hell doo-wop brilliance of the encore of “Paper Ships”, the night was undeniably special, and not just because it proved a note-perfect warm-up for Halloween. Dead Man's Bones looks headed for something big; if you were there on this night for what was a from-the-heart spectacle, consider yourself blessed. Especially if your name happens to be Jane Agyeman.