Looking back on her body of work wasn’t something Leslie Feist had really thought to do until her Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame induction came along. She was, as she said onstage during her induction speech, just connecting the small dots throughout her career; going from one idea to one project to another, and on, and on and often circling a question she had to create a song that might answer it. But there it was Saturday night: decades of meticulous thought, commitment, and all of the intimacy and power of her work, celebrated in such a big way.
Feist was one of four inductees at Massey Hall, along with Roch Voisine, Loverboy’s Mike Reno and Paul Dean, and The Tragically Hip. Amanda Marshall kicked off the show with a triumphant cover of “Turn Me Loose.” Charlotte Cornfield, a recent Polaris Prize shortlist-er, covered Feist’s “How Come You Never Let Me Go There,” while Ludovick Bourgeois interpreted Roch Voisine’s classic, “Hélène,” and Sebastian Gaskin and Tia Wood comfortably soared on their cover of The Tragically Hip’s “Bobcaygeon.”
The CSHF ceremony and all of the performances focused on how any track that’s sold a million times over begins with its songwriter. After all, the songs we’ve come to listen to so many times we know the words before we know our own thoughts, started out as a something so small, it might have been imperceptible: an idea to tinker with, an emotion to explore, a melody a songwriter doesn’t know the direction of but is keen to follow.
Recent CSHF inductee Jim Vallance ushered in Loverboy’s Reno and Dean to the group. To celebrate the glossy, glorious rock made by Loverboy, special notes and appearances from ‘80s rock legends such as Sammy Hagar and Rick Springfield. Hockey players Marie Philip-Poulin and Laura Stacey helped induct Roch Voisine, who, after his speech, took the stage with Isabelle Boulay to sing “I’ll Always Be There.” Americans brought Feist’s sharp, aching observations to life with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy performing “The Park” and Finneas (brother to Billie Eilish) performing “My Moon My Man” after inducting her into the Hall of Fame. Finally, actor Jay Baruchel, the man of the Canadian people, had the enormous task of bringing Canada’s band into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
It was an emotional night for everyone but predictably so with the absence of its vibrant lead singer, Gord Downie. Allison Russell covered “Wheat Kings” while Downie’s wide-brimmed hat with a feather, a signature look near the end of the icon’s life, sat still on a microphone stand next to her. Paul Langlois, Rob Baker, and Gord Sinclair were present for the induction. Our Lady Peace closed out the event with a cover of “Locked In the Truck of A Car.”
Photos by Lu Chau
Amanda Marshall.
Sebastian Gaskin and Tia Wood.
Paul Dean of Loverboy.
Dallas Green and Ruby Waters.
Roch Voisine and Isabelle Boulay.
Finneas and Feist.
Jeff Tweedy.
Paul Langlois, Rob Baker, Gord Sinclair of The Tragically Hip.