On a blazing hot day in July, GOB made a triumphant return to the city of Halifax after a decade-long absence. The band wasn’t touring an album of new material; instead, they came to celebrate their multi-decade career. When the band graced the Halifax Edgefest stage back in 2001, it was alongside a litany of Can-con legends such as Matthew Good, Joel Plaskett, Big Sugar, The Watchmen and local Canadian legends Sloan. Then in 2015, the band returned to Halifax and hit up the Seahorse Tavern for another fantastic show. Needless to say, when it was announced GOB would be returning, Halifax was ready and turned up to pack the Marquee Ballroom at 2037 Gottingen to revel in tunes prominently featured on many mixtapes and video game soundtracks of our youth.
It only stood to reason that the local punk-rock outfit Customer Service would be tapped to open for the West Coast legends GOB, as the two bands would bridge the new and the old sounds. Before setting foot into the venue, I had planned to pop in, snap a few pictures and head down the hill to catch Bahamas performing on the mainstage at Halifax Jazz Fest, but once Customer Service finished rattling the rafters in the room, that idea quickly evaporated into the ether. In retrospect, I am stoked to have made the decision to stay and take in the entire show, as I don’t know when I’ll get another chance to catch GOB performing live.
It was an unreal night of fiery punk-pop with the GOB founders Theo Goutzinakis and Tom Thacker. The OG duo, alongside bandmates Gabe Mantle on drums and Steven Fairweather on bass, put together a career-spanning set of tunes that drew from the band’s 6 full-length records. The packed venue was ready and willing to sing its hearts out, and relished the opportunity to revel in these songs that were part of that tapestry of youth. GOB was featured on many a mixtape and was regularly featured on video game soundtracks, which helped to indelibly etch these songs onto the heart of a generation. It didn’t matter that the band saved the best for last, as they closed the night out on the highest of notes with a trio of tunes that included “Soda”, “I Hear You Calling” and the band’s terrific Rolling Stones cover of “Paint It Black”.
When the lights finally came up, people were sweaty, smiling, and just basking in that post-concert glow. Thank you, GOB, for returning to Halifax again, and letting us celebrate these tunes. It was a great showing; hopefully you don’t wait another 10 years before returning East.
(Note: The band last played Halifax in 2015 – so they’ve been here since their Edgefest show and our post has been updated to correct our oversight.)
