231 Kensington Road.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nPouring all that musical diversity into the show, Gilas delivers a blend of mostly up-tempo, groove-laden songs staying in an adult contemporary lane, with his seven-piece band (including three backup singers) rounding out the sound.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He kicks off the set with \u201cConvenience Store,\u201d a clever comparison between his open heart and a store that never closes: \u201cThere\u2019s something \u2018bout that neon glow\/I can see so through ya\/I can\u2019t say no to ya\/You go and get what you need\/anytime you need it\/my heart\u2019s open 24\/7.\u201d<\/p>\n
In \u201cSigmund Freud Girlfriends,\u201d we hear tongue-in-cheek quips about past girlfriends dissecting their relationships and why they failed: \u201cTell all your Sigmund Freud girlfriends the damage, the savage\/there\u2019s always another chapter about the baggage we never unpacked\u2026cheaper than a couch confession\/ I\u2019ll even pick up the tab for the session.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gilas surrounds himself with a coterie of excellent musicians and background singers. Though they offer strong support, an interlude or two of an instrumental breakdown, putting Gilas further out front would have given us the chance to hear more of his voice unfettered by the size of the band.<\/p>\n
At the start of the show, a woman stepped up to the mic with a brief but cryptic comment alluding to the bravery of the performer we were about to witness. We never find out what that comment meant but what it most likely amounted to was a missed opportunity for Gilas to connect more profoundly with the audience. After a life-altering horseback riding accident that left him with a broken neck, unable to walk and limited use of his hands he took stock of his life. \u201cMusic became my therapy, my escape, and my way forward. I wrote song after song from my bed, never knowing they\u2019d turn into my first album.\u201dSo, the question is how did this near-tragic event fuel the songs on the album? Audiences love to know these backstories.<\/p>\n
Still, the show was entertaining with all its bells and whistles, though Gilas unfortunately omitted sharing these songs shaped by his life experiences, most notably, the riding accident. While many of us have been in a dark place at some point in our lives, we welcome hearing how others have overcome insurmountable obstacles.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n