While the emphasis “better late than never” idiom usually falls on the rock ‘n’ roll-appropriate second and fourth words, it’s the first that CONEY HATCH load with importance in 2025, the year when the Ontarian ensemble finally went not only for the expanded, 40-anniversary reissue of their eponymous debut, but also for its concert interpretation in acoustic form. Performed in the intimate setting of Toronto’s The Redwood Theatre, the foursome’s “Unplugged” set was more than a series of stripped-down takes on their classics; the evening presented a deep dive into the “Coney Hatch” album, with all the songs delivered in the original running order yet interspersed with many a story which painted vivid pictures of the platter’s background.
More so, whereas a lot of similar endeavors tend to needlessly turn familiar tunes into ballads, the three players behind the 1982 record – singer and rhythm guitarist Carl Dixon, bassist Andy Curran and drummer Dave Ketchum – and six-stringer Sean Kelly, who’s been in the group for a decade now, managed to render those ten numbers exquisite without making the fans favorites too precious. A candlelit stage could give the proceedings a romantic slant, but the atmosphere seemed rather jovial, as John Derringer, a radio luminary and an expert on local rock scene engaged the quartet into flurries of memories that logically led from “Devil’s Deck” to “Monkey Bars” – through the rest of the cuts which got the audience high on riffs and didn’t require electric effects to send shivers down the listener’s spine.
The choice of a couple of covers as encores only enhanced this unique event’s overall merriment – although, of course, the band’s own pieces would serve better in this regard. However, with “better” still a keyword here, the ensemble’s old refrain of “We got the night, the night belongs to us” brought their legacy home in multiple ways. Long may they run.
