Bradi Breckman
On the second day of the 49th annual Winnipeg Folk Festival, Snowberry Field in Birds Hill Park was packed with festivalgoers braving the afternoon heat. Why? To see Noah Reid, of course. Having come to fame through his role in the hit comedy show Schitts Creek, Reid is now making his name as a musician. The Ontario-based singer/songwriter drew a crowd on his first-ever visit to Winnipeg as the temperature climbed to 30°, and the anticipation grew.
Noah Reid opened his set with a song from his album Adjustments, titled “Statue’s in Stone.” The artist sang and played the piano, backed up by a guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, and drummer. Reid’s melodic voice projected out of the speakers, and his thoughtful lyrics came through clearly— until they stopped altogether. After only a few songs, Reid’s microphone cut out, leaving the perplexed crowd with only instrumentals. He yelled, “Just listen to the music!” at the crowd, and the band instantly took up a song, effortlessly providing an impromptu musical interlude. While the much-appreciated tech team worked on fixing the issue, Reid stalled with style, taking selfies and chatting with the first row of festivalgoers. Most of the crowd stayed put throughout the interruption— a testament to Reid’s appeal— and the show was up and running again in no time.
Noah Reid returned from the brief interruption with the soulful tune “Underwater.” The performance was personal and intimate, and Reid used the song to draw the audience closer to him emotionally. Then, once he’d lulled them into expecting slow indie-folk music for the rest of the show, he blindsided the crowd with the never-before performed “Still Don’t Know.” The twangy Rock’n’roll song from Reid’s first official album, Songs from a Broken Chair, filled the crowd with a new, excited energy. The piece featured some heavier and more prominent drum sections that propelled it the whole way through.
Shortly after, Reid switched gears again, introducing a cover as not only something off his newest EP, T is for Tillerson, but one he performed on television. A few fans may have been expecting his hit from Schitts Creek, but Reid had sworn off performing that at the festival and instead paid tribute to his newer television show Outer Range. Guitar in arms, he played the opening chords to Poison’s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn ”. Reid gave the ‘80s rock song a country feel and even broke out his harmonica to complete his cowboy image. Later in the set, Reid performed a second song from the TV show and EP: a cover of “Save the Best for Last” by ‘90s pop singer and actress Vanessa Williams.
After his Poison cover, Noah Reid spoke briefly about his period in Los Angeles and how the city inspired some of his songs, including the one he was about to play next. The crowd burst into laughter when the first line of the song was “Oh, good God, I hate this town,” the piece was clearly driven by a disdain for LA’s culture rather than artistic inspiration. Then, Reid changed moods again and performed the nostalgic and adventurous contemporary folk song “American Roads.” In it, he romanticizes the feeling of highway driving and the freedom and control that it provides. His lyrics and vocals exuded youth and life.
Reid ended his show with the philosophical “Everything’s Fine,” asking the audience, through his lyrics, “What am I gonna do, with all this time?”. The introspective lyrics, paired with Reid’s resonant voice, enwrapped the audience in the song, and the band ended it strongly, with a highlighted guitar section to close. Reid thanked the audience and his bandmates graciously. Then, for the first time I had seen at the festival, the crowd got to their feet, awarding Noah Reid and his band with a well-deserved standing ovation.