On heritage day, September 24th, Allan Faull passed away while in studio with Falling Mirror. Devastating and tragic for so many reasons, the timing of his sudden passing seems particularly cruel as the last year has seen the band working hard on a comeback and recording an album of new material.
Events of less significance have led to the dissolution of bands, but Falling Mirror have decided to expand and stay together; on Reconciliation Day, with the support of The Black Bear Band, the Mirror performed a one-night-only show at the Baxter Theatre and received two standing ovations, confirming that their decision to carry on was the right one.
A stripped down version of the Black Bear Band (consisting of Craig Banks and Andy Lund) performed a really lovely set of acoustic bluesy country rock, and ended with an awesome surprise – a choir rose from the crowd to join them in song, it was great.
Stephen ‘Sugar’ Segerman introduced the night’s headliners, and told the crowd briefly about the band’s fascinating history, including how Nielen Mirror spent time homeless and living in a hedge. Theirs is a story both amusing and tragic, but in spite of that (or perhaps because of that) they have produced some incredible music over the years and continue to do so.
Now, joining founding members Nielen Mirror and Pat Humphreys and long-time bassist Harvey Cohen are Pat’s son Kai on keyboards, Richard Tait on acoustic guitar and his son Jonathan on lead guitar. While no-one could ever replace Allan Faull, Jono echoes him well, as it was Allan who taught him how to play.
The show was great – great vibe, great energy and great performances. Highlights included the little girl in the front row who was jamming and air-guitaring with unrivaled enthusiasm, the lovely rendition of Highway Blues and the beautiful Girl at the station, made even more poignant by Nielen’s introduction where he spoke about Allan and how it was the last song they wrote together. The way he sang the last last line (“I’ll never see you again“) was heart-breaking and beautiful.
They received two standing ovations and numerous cheers at the end of the night.
Some photos from the morning rehearsal:
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