Review - Arkells Take Berkeley @ the Cornerstone (3/27/19)

Arkells at the Cornerstone in Berkeley (Photo: Ken McCain)

Usually five guys from Canada sound more like a hockey team taking the ice to play the world's greatest game. But there's not much ice in Berkeley, CA these days, and even the ACHA Division II Cal Bears have to travel to nearby Oakland for games. The group of Canucks taking over the Cornerstone Craft Beer & Live Music stage were the Arkells - hometown boys from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada traveling the US lately on their Rally Cry Tour. They've been hitting it hard for two months now, spending the first half of February in Canada, then starting the US leg in New York, then down the eastern coast and across the south until they wound up in sunny California. Well, at least lately we've been sunny. This West Coast swing is the end of the scheduled tour winding up tonight in Portland, Oregon and Saturday in Seattle, Washington.

Dear Rogue at the Cornerstone (Photo: Ken McCain)

Wednesday night's show lead off with their traveling partners Dear Rouge. Also from Canada (Vancouver), the four-piece alt-rockers gathered a nice size crowd who really let the band know they were loved. At one point lead singer Danielle McTaggart asked if there were any Canadians in the crowd and was answered with a resounding "YES!". A lot of Californians showed up, too. Their short set was an excellent way to kick off the night, getting everyone dancing and moving to their high-charting, adrenaline pumping, tunes. Their 2016 Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year was well deserved.

The short break to reset the stage saw the crowd grow to a sizeable mass. Arkells are a band that have played quite a few large capacity shows, many on the festival circuit. They've even played as headliners in 2018 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont to 24,000 people. Dubbed "The Rally", it was the largest crowd gathered there in over 40 years. So those fans who got to see the boys "up close and personal" should consider themselves lucky for attending this mid-week show.

Max Kerman of the Arkells at the Cornerstone (Photo: Ken McCain)

Max Kerman, lead vocals, got things going with a string of chart-topping songs, drawing mostly from the newest album Rally Cry (iTunes) (2018). Their infectious energy spilled into the crowd, while the whole time they were giving it right back. Arkells fed off that intensity, rallying their fans at every turn. At one point Kerman made sure that everyone knew it wasn't a weekday, Wednesday night out. No, he made sure that they all knew it was Saturday night, 'cause Wednesdays are not fun days, but Saturdays are. We all bought in on this and left our worries at work and just let loose and had fun. That's something this band is great at doing. Kerman even came out into the crowd to sing and dance with fans. As he did he made sure to say "Hi" as he passed, then spotted one person and gave her a "doctor's note" in case she didn't make it into work the next day.

Max Kerman of the Arkells at the Cornerstone (Photo: Ken McCain)

That wasn't the only time he ventured off stage. Another time he set off to the floor and started a conga line, getting about 50 people following him in a weaving, roundabout pattern back to the stage. It was cool to watch from above and see fans not only engaged in the conga, but allowing the line to pass easily and jumping on board when it did.

Arkells at the Cornerstone (Photo: Ken McCain)

A nice moment was had when all five came to center stage to do an acoustic version of the song "And Then Some". It's certainly one of my favorites in their song list, and done acoustic with a few guitars, mandolin and 2-piece percussion, it added a nice spin to the tune. After that, they kicked it back into high-gear and never looked back. Every song from 'Pullin' Punches', '11:11', 'Saturday Night', through 'Hand Me Downs' had everyone jumping, dancing, and singing.

Before the end of the night, the band took a short break, while the crowd called their name the whole time. Arkells came back to the stage for two more songs, the first included Dear Rouge's Danielle McTaggart, and right away it was a duo-song. But which one? As a late-comer to their scene I only knew about this later, but Arkells have a love of Motown, so the choice would come from Detroit. At first it struck me as odd, but since that night I've been singing that song at work (to myself, of course). 'Ain’t No Mountain' was a wonderful way to show off their passion for music, and McTaggart pulled off Tammi Terrell's part effortlessly. Looking at their tour stats they've played ABBA's 'Dancing Queen' considerably more than all other covers combined, making Wednesday night and even more special event.

Arkells with Dear Rogue's Danielle McTaggart at the Cornerstone (Photo: Ken McCain)

Let me not forget to mention the fans. I don't think I've witnessed a show where I've heard the entire crowd sing along with every single song played. I have to admit, I felt a little out of place. I couldn't measure up to their commitment. And it made me love these guys even more. To have that kind of effect on people is very powerful. And with great power comes great responsibility. And Arkells are doing a great job with that. Spreading their love and joy in their homeland and ours.

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