Shad at Massey Hall

Photo credit Massey Hall | Malcolm Cook.

Shad’s not the kind of guy to rest on laurels, as continuous JUNO and Polaris nominations can attest to. The Old Prince was recently crowned the new host of CBC’s Q and if he can facilitate guests with a fraction of the aptitude with which he raps well, he’ll pass with Flying Colours. When This is Over you might gain an appreciation and veneration for his designation and presentation in one of the premiere music shows of the nation. Who am I kidding? I’ll leave the rhymes to Shad. I’m TSOL. Or something.

Enough with the levity, Shad had it in spades. Never flustered, he roamed the stage with the easy confidence of a hometown hero. Flanked by a full backing band and the warm acoustics of Massey Hall, he enveloped the crowd with a constant stream of conscious lyrics and dynamic energy. There was a sense of the personal in his delivery, words channelled from the heart, through the page to the mic. Verses hung with meaning, carried by a charismatic performance that veered parts animated and loose, reflective and comical. Shad performs as he presents: as himself.

Calling the crowd onto their feet in the first track, Shad offered no reason to take a seat. Audience favourites “Rose Garden” and “Keep Shining” had hands raised in the air from the floor to the top balcony. DJ T Lo kept the samples flowing, while the backing of live instrumentation brought the tracks to life. The intensity fluctuated like a wavelength, quieter tracks no less compelling, but more contemplative. A guest appearance from Eternia on “Love Means” supplied massive presence, spitting passionate rhymes and hyping the crowd to a frenzy, while the crowd later proved their mettle with coordinated backing claps for the breakdown in “The Old Prince Still Lives At Home.”

Ceaselessly gripping, the full spectrum of Shad’s talent showed when left to a bare stage. Closing out his encore with an A capella rendition of “The One in Front of The Garage” felt inseparable from a beat poetry session. Testing his limber lyricism, he artfully tumbled through 6+ minutes of lines dripping with double entendre, frequently punctuated by enthusiastic applause breaks. Spine tingling and spirit lifting, he left the stage to near-deafening cheers. No doubt was left to his veracity of character, all that’s left is to see how that translates to his studio persona.