Back in June of this year, shortly after the announcement that the Phoenix Concert Theatre would be closing its doors for good, our own Ricky wrote a eulogy of sorts for the place, reflecting back on some of the most memorable shows he’d seen at the longstanding Toronto venue.
Well, it would seem Ricky jumped the gun a bit, as we’re a few months down the line from that initial announcement and The Phoenix is still here, having gotten a reprieve that will see them operating in the same old location into 2026. What comes after that, no one knows, but in the meantime, the show(s) must go on. And as a thank you to patrons, The Phoenix is presenting a series of free shows in conjunction with classic rock station Q107. The first of those shows took place on Saturday, with local blues guy Paul James taking to the stage to kick it all off.
Immediately before the Paul James Band’s set, a host from Q107 took the stage to introduce them, noting that this was a tribute to the venue, the city, the fans, and live music itself, but also a celebration of Paul James’ birthday, as the singer and guitarist turned 73 on this occasion. Not a bad way to celebrate another spin around the sun.
Yes, Paul James has been around for a while, having made his name playing around various Toronto clubs for more than 50 years, with some notable shows including a gig backing up Bo Diddley for a series of Toronto shows back in the day and that time he jammed with Bob Dylan in the ’80s. Both of those performers are not only people he’s collaborated with, but also influences, and James paid tribute to each of them in his set on Saturday night by covering their songs. He also threw in some covers from the likes of The Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, and Roy Orbison alongside a number of originals such as “Slow Jive” and “Little Girl.”
Sure, James and his band don’t quite have the same ‘hip factor’ as bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or the xx shows that Ricky raved about in his post – unsurprisingly, Canadian blues rock never did catch on with the indie blog crowd – but what he may lack in indie hipster cred, he made up for with his unpretentious, old school blues and rock n’ roll as he and his band ran through a set that showed off the chops he’s honed after decades of performing.
