December 6th, 2003

* SPECIAL EDITION TOUR JOURNAL WRITTEN BY SEAN HIGGINS *

      This show marked the first time Softer ventured across the border to play for lovely Canada City. Since Lowfive 2.0 had been denied access to Canada over a year ago, we were a little worried about whether or not we would actually make it across the border. To make it less obvious that we were actually a band, only essentials were packed (guitars and cymbals). Luckily, crossing through the Topsfield border proved to be easier than Ian after a few martinis (shaken, not stirred).
      We arrived in Sussex (there isn't really a Canada City) around 4:30 Real Time, and met up with old Lowfive drummer Matt Deprez, who had hooked us up with the gig. After handshakes and hugs were exchanged, we went to the venue, which was basically a small meeting hall, and got everything prepared.
      The show started with a fair size crowd (according to show promoter Tim Shaw, about 80-100 kids), and The Wiggly Tysons took the stage to play a mix of pop-punk, hardcore, blues, and straight rock. I didn't care too much for their music, but they had a lot of energy and were able to get the crowd going, so it was entertaining at least.
      Softer took the stage next, but not before realizing that keyboard player Caleb had been forgotten while packing the cars. So, for the second show in a row, Softer was keyboardless. The set went off without a hitch, and despite initial worries over the acoustics, the sound was good. Highlights included Jon's crazy Calico dance and Adam and Gabe's guitar rubbing. Sorry Ian, you just didn't do anything highlight-worthy. The six-song set (not including the brief cover of "I Would Walk 500 Miles" ) was punctuated with TNT, which got the most applause of any song played.
      Strength For Today, a hardcore band from Maine, came to to finish the show off. They played for about 25 minutes, and we all got to watch all the kids do their crazy hardcore dances. Again, this wasn't my type of music, but they were good at what they did, and the crowd was definitely into them.
      Overall, the venture to Canada went surprisingly well (if you don't consider the blizzard on the way home and not having keyboards), and a good time was had by all. Thanks to Tim Shaw for letting us crash at his killer pad.

/sean q. higgins

read Deprez' views on the show...


SETLIST
Confessions...
1913
Stopping Sound (Impossibles Cover)
Calico
Still Photography
TNT