Calgary, AB - Jan 23, 2007 - Pengrowth Saddledome

The Rankins Return - Elizabeth Bishop - Triona Trog's Blog

Tuesday, January 23rd was a special day for Calgary because one of our favourite bands from the East Coast....yes, the Rankin Family....swept in on the Chinook wind for their first concert in almost ten years.

The Rankins were the group I adored and listened to all the time when I was an impressionable age, so naturally this concert was just a little bit exciting. Their song "Mairi's Wedding" was the first I heard of the music that I later learned was called "Celtic". I enjoy the whole genre now - with a special preference for the Cape Breton styles - but it all started with the Rankins' sound and style. They sounded at once contemporary and "cool" but with a warm family vibe that hinted at deep traditions and tunes played and passed on with love.

They performed at the Pengrowth Saddledome - where the Calgary Flames play - and it was their biggest venue in the city yet. Most of the floor and lower rise seats were taken, and many of the ones on the upper level too. Clearly they have lots of fans in this city who will still come out and see them! All ages were represented, including many young families. Myself and my good friend Kim S. (whom I met through the Rankins online fan club) were sitting just up in the risers. (I avoid the floor because of the loudness.) Security was pretty tight, and after a close analysis of the field of action, we weren't sure we would be allowed to get up and dance. I assured Kim that the right moment would come - it was a Rankin Family concert after all!

Dawn Langstroth opened the concert. She has a warm rich voice and has written and chosen some excellent songs. Then she turned the spotlight over to the family we were all waiting for. The set opened with each Rankin taking the lead on a signature song - "Roving Gypsy Boy" (Jimmy), "Borders and Time (Cookie - apparently recovered from her flu), "Gillis Mountain" (Raylene) and "Bells" (Heather). These were all received with enthusiasm. Next they launched into one of the new songs, "Sunday Morning." The fiddle solos had many in the audience cheering hopefully, but the girls did not dance - evidently they were saving it for later. (As if it's possible to ever have too much stepdancing!)

Heather aimed to get the audience participating in "Fisherman's Son." We gave our best effort to the chorus. This was one of many songs the family performed that I have never heard in concert before, so it was a treat. After we were warmed up and smiling, Raylene briefly noted the Rankins' loss of John Morris and recently their sister Geraldine, who lived in Calgary with her family. "No words can express our sorrow," she said simply, and left the stage to Mac Morin, who played a short piano solo.

The tune Mac played was "Memories of Bishop MacDonald", which John Morris Rankin recorded in "Piano Medley" on the Rankins' debut album. A favourite of John Morris's, the lament was composed by legendary Mabou Mines fiddler Donald "John the Taylor" Beaton for another notable native of Mabou, Bishop MacDonald. MacDonald travelled the world, eventually becoming bishop of Victoria, British Columbia, but always longed to return home. Eventually he did, and is buried in St. Mary's, along with the composer and John Morris Rankin. Mac is a beautiful piano player and his set was appropriate to the occasion.*

After subdued applause, the sisters bounded on stage again and gave it all to "Tell My Ma." Every tune - especially the lively ones - was met by a good deal of enthusiastic stomping and yelling. Our risers were shaking pretty hard at times!

Raylene then described how their nieces Kathleen and Frances had come backstage before the show to help them with their hair and makeup. "They brought a special hairspray called Big Sexy Hair," Raylene offered. A fellow in the audience yelled "RAYLENE - SEXY!", at which she doffed her jacket and the sisters did an impromptu rendition of "I'm Too Sexy".

After we all recovered, Raylene said that the next song was going out to Kathleen and Frances. It was "Ho Ro Mo Nighean Donn Bhoidheach" (Ho Ro my Nut Brown Maiden) and the sisters' harmonies were the most soaring and melodic of the whole evening. It made my heart ache for Geraldine's two daughters.

Molly Rankin performed her song "Sunset" that also appears on the new CD, and had the enthusiastic support of everyone. (And she had a wicked pair of shiny black boots on....) Then Howie and Jimmy came to the front and she joined them with her fiddle. "How would you to hear a set of Cape Breton fiddle tunes?" Jimmy asked, and the energy level in the stadium went up a notch, palpably. The Moment was coming.

With plenty of vocal support from the audience, they launched into the strathspeys. When they swept into the reels, I noticed a group jump into the aisle below us, hand in hand, doing what looked suspiciously like a square set. In the next breath Kim and I tore off our sweaters, jumped to our feet, and were down the risers. In a lucky coincidence, the security people had stamped our hands with the floor pass before the show. Nobody on the risers was supposed to get one, but we had walked toward the floor as if our seats were there, and gotten the stamps. So we got through without any argument. Next thing we had joined the dancers, and we knew we weren't going back once that started.

We finished the dance on the side, and then the Rankins got back together for "Movin On." We made a run for the front of the stage. We were close enough to see all the family's faces now, and they were as much into it as we were. Several people in the front row got up, including two waving big Cape Breton flags. Kim and I helped them wave them, despite only being Cape Bretoners at heart. Kim actually appropriated one of the flags and ended up with it wrapped around her. I could barely hear my feet that close to the amps, and it all added to a strange, marvelous feeling of dancing on pure air (which had the drawback of making it rather hard to find the beat for stepdancing, but I figured it out eventually).

The energy stayed up, but the tempo went down, for the almost-closing rendition of "Rise Again." The dancing crowd went and crouched on the side for this one. Raylene's voice made the Flames banners hanging from the ceiling shiver. Her final note had barely died away when everyone was screaming for more. It had been almost ten years, after all. We had energy to burn.

The lights went down then and Jimmy came to the front to lead into "Mull River Shuffle." We and the other dancers were all giggles and anticipating each line before Jimmy said it. I'm sure everybody in the stadium was doing the same. When he hissed out "shuffle...." we were up and off to the front like a pistol shot. There was a brief moment of confusion when a security guard jumped in front, and the person in front of me made an unexpected about face, causing me to trip and almost fall over a railing by the side of the stage. However, while the guards were tangled up with us, a few other people called out "No - keep going!" and made a rush to the stage. Whether the Rankins signaled to them to bring it on, or they took advantage of the confusion, I am not sure; but either way we broke through and soon followed them to the front. There was no trouble, and one of the guards rather resignedly curled up at the front to, I don't know, pull any demented fans off the stage if necessary. He really looked rather nice and watched my stepdancing attentively, not being in a position to watch anything else.

Jimmy invited all the audience to get to their feet and Calgary was in a mood to comply. They finished Mull River Shuffle and made a perfunctory exit before returning for the encore.

And then....

They sang Mairi's Wedding!

Yes, the song that opened the door to the whole world of music on the East Coast of my country, Canada. What a great journey of discovery it has been! How many wonderful people I have met and become friends with as a result! Thank you Rankins!

I danced all the way though it.

Dawn rejoined the family for a rendition of "You Feel the Same Way Too". Everyone was ready for a lovefest. She shared a mike with Cookie, and Heather shared one with Molly, their arms around each other. Each vocalist had a chance to shine one more time. The audience shared the good vibes by keeping up the dancing and cheering.

At the end of the song, Cookie and Raylene were surreptitiously wiping away tears. "My mascara is running," Raylene said gently. I believe they felt how much we were supporting them, and it made me happy to see that. Calgary must have been a hard gig to do, after losing their sister shortly before. I wanted more than anything for the Rankins to have a good show here, and feel as much at home as I did the first time I went to Nova Scotia.

The last number featured the sisters' harmonies and Jimmy's timeless songwriting on "Departing Song." It was a lovely way to say goodbye, and we shared in the pleasant melancholy. I never thought I'd see the day when this particular band reunited, but they still have something special going. I'm glad they came out and gave the fans of East Coast music in this city a chance to get together, stomp their feet, sing along, dance with strangers, and share in the laughter and tears.

*Thank you to Alex MacDonald for the background on the tune "Memories of Bishop MacDonald"