The Hidden Cameras were fucking STUNNING last night.

Now, I've seen em 9 times and they've never been anything less than spectacular, but something about last night's show pushed it to the next level.

Maybe it was the set list. The mix of brand spankin new songs, kinda new songs, and the right mix of oldies - including a few from "Smell of Our Own" that I haven't seen aired in a while - that just hit the crowd right. Maybe it was the crowd - from the word go, everyone was dancing and singing along having a grand ol' time. Maybe it was the energy level of the band themselves - they had travelled from Toronto to Boston that day and encountered all kinds of troubles, so they were playing to make the show worth it, dammit. And boy, was it ever.

 Hidden Cameras
Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
14 June 2003

There are some things in this world that words simply cannot describe in their full glory. Unfortunately for this review, The Hidden Cameras live show and, in fact, the Hidden Cameras in general is one of those things. I'll do the best I can, though.

First off, a little bit about the band. It is the brainchild of Joel Gibb, though in the live setting all eleven members are equally crucial to the performance. Gibb describes their sound as "gay church folk-music", and I suppose that's as accurate description as you're going to get. I certainly can't think of a better one. At any given point in time during a full-band Hidden Cameras show, there is so much going on on-stage [and even off-stage, more on that in a bit] that you can't help but feel at least slightly over stimulated. And it's fantastic.