Rodriguez at Massey Hall

Photos by Dawn Hamilton

Massey Hall concert goer’s search for Sugar Man came to success, on Sunday evening. Seeing Rodriguez live was an experience unlike any other. The vibe in Massey Hall was one of respect, nostalgia, and appreciation. The night opened up with Arum Rae. The hall was extremely quite and peaceful as everyone was so taken back in how amazing and strong her vocals were. It was almost as if Amy Winehouse was playing, with a tad higher of a pitch. She found out days before touring that she would even be on the tour, and she explained how appreciative she was towards the situation. Her set was not only unique because of her amazing voice, but also because before playing each song she explains what each song is about, and if/how it is personal to her own life, in detail. It was a very personal and soul quenching set.

Although Rodriguez is someone who has gained so much attention and respect and is even larger than The Beatles in some area’s of the world, he is a man who is extremely humble and down to earth. He is a Man of multiple different talents. He is a man who is peaceful, understanding, kind hearted, and as he calls himself a “regular legend”.

Although for a few of his songs played in the evening he cut a few verses for some songs, for a 74 year old Man who is struggling with his Health, he put on nothing but a phenomenal performance. His performance of “Crucify Your Mind” was extremely beautiful, and touched so many people. He has this presence about him that is just so down to earth and comforting. He has such genuine and intricate lyrics that are relatable to a countless amount of lives, along with beautiful musicality and presentation. His story is incredibly inspiring, and it is a display of how truly anything can happen to anyone at anytime, and it was an honor to all attending to be in his presence, and hear his music live.

This was an incredibly inspiring and down to earth show. Massey Hall was the perfect venue for this performance as it is already intimate, but he made it even more intimate as it was just him, his guitar, a microphone, and a coffee mug. He was responsive to every comment shouted, which is not something that many artists do. It made the show just that much more special to see him respond to every thing that was shouted out, which says even more about the kind of person that he is. Viewing Rodriguez be escorted on and off of stage (as his disease Glaucoma prevents him from proper vision) for the encore was incredibly bitter-sweet. As he left the stage the first time ,crowd members began chanting “Rodriguez” but many were unsure if we would actually be escorted out yet again for an encore. After a few minutes, he then appeared being escorted back on stage to perform a few more cover songs. This was a very special, and empowering moment.

Despite his age and sickness, he is still able to perform around the world, exceptionally. This is a man, who everyone should get to see perform live at least once in their lifetime, or at the very least see his documentary “Searching for Sugar Man” to learn the inspiration of his story. Being graced by his nearby presence, was most definitely one I will never forget, and hold close to my heart.