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TORONTO - Somehow, he saved the night. Twice.
During Friday evening's concert at Massey Hall, Hawksley Workman overcame two things that threatened to spoil his show: A technical problem during Striptease, and himself.
Indeed, for the first hour, it seemed like the only person having fun was Workman.
Even during The City is a Drag -- a stellar tune with the best piano chord progression since Elton John sat at a piano bench -- he exaggerated the vocals so much it sounded like someone was drunkenly brutalizing songs during a game of Rock Band.
It was an unfortunate start to a headlining set after such a delightful batch of tunes from openers Hey Rosetta!, a six-piece band from St. John's, Newfoundland.
Right away, the openers looked fresh, the creases of their skin not yet toughened from years of touring. Frontman Tim Baker worked hard -- he was often out of breath during between-song banter -- as the band performed epic songs from the Workman-produced Into Your Lungs (and around in your heart and on through your blood).
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Then, after a short break, Workman walked onto the stage with his four-piece backing band and admitted something in the first few minutes.
"You get nervous coming on a stage like this," the 33-year-old performer said, calling Massey Hall "the greatest venue in the country."
The band opened up with Almost a Full Moon, with its chilly lyrics reflecting the weather outside, and then followed it up with Ilfracombe.
By the time he reached All Of Us Kids, he was in full melodramatic mode, playing tricks with his voice and embellishing melodies so much that it nearly ruined a number of songs. Even if this reflected his signature style of singing, it became hard to stomach.
While his vocal improvisations showed that he was bursting with creativity --remember, this is the prolific man who released two albums this year, Between the Beautifuls and Los Manilicious -- it seemed like the inspiration sometimes made him forget the audience.
Nonetheless, after 50 minutes, he finally turned things around with the pretty Autumn's Here, whispering his words so that he could hear the audience singing along. He then invited his father onstage to play drums for Safe and Sound, a moment that eventually brought the crowd to its feet for a standing ovation.
Unfortunately, the speakers went out during the second half of Striptease, with the band continuing to play. Audience members glanced back at the mixing board, and the unaware performers -- their monitors, amps and drum set still functional -- sounded like a distant band you might hear while passing a bar's open window.
As soundmen scurried to fix the technical issue, Workman grabbed an acoustic guitar and started playing a soft version of Anger as Beauty, singing into the air and strumming quietly.
At first, it didn't seem like the strategy would work, as the chatter from the soundmen threatened to kill the feeling. However, when the speakers came back on, the startling change in volume made the song that much more dynamic.
For the encore, Workman invited Hey Rosetta! back onstage for a spirited rendition of Your Beauty Must Be Rubbing Off, with Baker and Workman trading verses.
Patrons left the show satisfied, obviously unbothered by Workman's ridiculous vocal acrobatics during the first hour of the show. He's a master of recovery, that's for sure.