June 16, 1996

After an intense, 1 1/2-hour rock concert that saw 2,300 young party animals just lose it, Watchmen vocalist Daniel Greaves grinned and simply said, "thank you - the pleasure was ours."

Hard to believe, but it's true.

The Watchmen play music not for their rabid legions of fans, but for themselves.

The self-absorbed, unashamed pleasure with which this Winnipeg band performed their finely-crafted songs was obvious at the Convention Centre Friday night. The crowd just happened to be along for the ride; you get the feeling the show would've been just as powerful with any number of witnesses.

A licensed cabaret was once again the site for this year's Watchmen-induced mayhem (there's one thing more perilous than an out-of-control mosh pit, and that's a drunken out-of-control mosh pit). With the crowd pumped up on more than just youthful enthusiasm, a deafening din of cheers greeted the band's 10:30 entrance, a response typical of, say, a Tragically Hip concert. Greaves, who would occasionally sip wine between songs, especially seemed oblivious to the writhing mass of humanity beneath him. He's clearly in love with his own voice, a forgivable vanity since it's such a rich and expressive instrument.

"I realize that I get into a trance and I've hardly spoken to you at all," he said after wailing through about six tunes in a row. "I apologize - it just means I'm having a ball."

While the Watchmen sound nothing like the Hip, they are cut from the same earthy cloth - a home-grown Canadian rock band that follows no rules but their own.

With no stage decorations or special effects whatsoever, the band wasted no time and kicked off the show with its current hit, Incarnate, from the aptly-titled new album, Brand New Day. It's a powerful song with a crunchy hook that grabs you right away before taking one of the melodic left turns the band is known for. The rest of the band members delivered sensitive performances, making it look easy going from a whisper to a roar at the drop of a hat.

The Watchmen, again similar to the Hip, aren't especially known for being hit-makers, but the crowd was still electrified to hear songs like Boneyard Tree and Lusitana, from 1994's In the Trees album. It was amazing to hear so many people singing along with such cryptic lyrics.

This crowd was into the Watchmen's vibe to the hilt, demanding - and getting - two encores.

Opening act Weeping Tile didn't quite generate the excitement of the headliner, but was given a warm response all the same. The Kingston band delivered a fairly grim and generic-sounding set - dull but listenable - but thanks to some impressive vocals, there were enough bright moments to open some new ears to this act.