Having seen Dear Rouge multiple times in the past year, I was thrilled to finally see them perform in Guelph. In the past year, the husband and wife synth-pop duo have performed to festival crowds of thousands and sold out shows. It was a fantastic, rare opportunity to have them play at Guelph.
The show started rather late, with the first opener starting just before 8 P.M. Ria Mae, backed with her drummer, warmed up the crowd with mostly acoustic ballads. The Halifax native showed off her talent with soulful vocals that rang through the venue. Regina based band, Rah Rah, were second to play. The indie-rock band got the crowd dancing throughout their set. Although picking out the Rah Rah fans from new listeners in the crowd was quite easy to do, by the end of the set the band managed to have everyone smiling. Throwing giant, lettered balloons that spelled “RAH” out into the crowd and blasting confetti from the side of the stage, the band made it easy to get engaged in the show. Overall, the crowd’s energy was high as Rah Rah left the stage.
Finally, the concert theatre went dark, and the crowd started to cheer. “You look really, really good tonight,” lead-singer Danielle McTaggart exclaimed as she entered the stage. From the moment the band started the first song, the enthusiastic vocalist was jumping and dancing around the stage. Both Drew McTaggart, Dear Rouge co-vocalist, and Danielle, fed off each other’s energy throughout their set. The band needed no special stage effects or light shows to highlight the performance—all that was needed was Danielle’s energy. Making sure to hit all sides of the stages, the powerful singer got close to the crowd to sing, dance, and interact with fans. Playing hit songs such as “Best Look Lately,” “Black to Gold,” and even covering Blondie, the crowd reciprocated the band’s energy. While performing “I Heard I Had,” Danielle jumped to the ground and danced through the crowd, interacting with fans and encouraging them to jump along. “You are the first concert we’ve had in Guelph, and you are the best concert we’ve had in Guelph,” she concluded.
From Danielle’s energizing dance moves, to the powerful vocals backed by intense drumming, the band delivered. Even if you weren’t a Dear Rouge fan, it was nearly impossible not to have a great time.
After the show, I had the opportunity to speak with Drew and Danielle McTaggart. The three of us talked about touring, performing, and balancing both a marriage and a band.