It takes practice to be Good
Matt Good sings and plays during rehearsal at the Abbey Arts Centre, in preparation for his new concert tour.
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There are no spotlights, no set, no props and no audience.
The stage is bare, except for the musical equipment and four musicians.
At the mike on centre stage is Matt Good, dressed in old jeans and a loose shirt.
He looks around, remembering to make eye contact with an empty chair, and finishes the song with a dramatic strum of his guitar. On the final chord, there’s no applause, just silence – until the singer looks up and yells, “How’d that sound?”
“Good, good,” comes the reply from an unseen voice in the sound room.
“Okay, we’ll do one more,” Good says.
It’s day two of rehearsal at the Abbey Arts Centre.
Matt Good is kicking off his cross-Canada tour Tuesday night and for the past five days, he and his band have been rehearsing here.
Rehearsal has gone well so far, and even though he’s been singing for almost four hours, Good is still in a playful mood.
After a few easy one-liners with his bandmates, it’s back to business.
Again the music kicks in, louder this time.
The guitarist walks back towards the drummer and plays in front of him, then jogs lightly back to the microphone for the next verse.
They’re moves that will seem spontaneous when they occur Tuesday. But they have not been left to chance. The musicians are getting comfortable with the stage, its size, and their positions.
As the song ends, Good takes his guitar off.
“Nice! Alright boys, that’s it for today.”
Technicians start organizing equipment. They chat with band members, comparing notes.
Good now looks spent.
After a brief conversation with his band, he dons his ball cap and slips out the back door and into his BMW in the back lot.
Rehearsal is over.
On with the show.
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