With Soup’s growing popularity, many were inquiring about the size of the venue chosen for their FREE performance on Friday, March 9th, 2012 at The Gig on Center Street in Riverwest. The show kicked off around 10pm that evening, and the petite location came off as spacious early in the eve. It was in question if fans would be discouraged from attending the show due to the immense fan collection Soup has accumulated, and the small venue size, in fear of the place filling up quickly. With this in mind, if a number of the confirmed guests decided against this show option for that reason, the place could have been pretty open. However, there seemed to be just the right number of attendees for the magnitude of The Gig.
The first set crept into a deliberate choice of songs that portrayed a soothingly slower vibe. Inside, the bar area, stage, and dance floor are all congregated in the same wing of the complex, which never really seemed to pose a problem for people dancing, getting drinks, or simply passing by. Wrapping around the bar, past the stage, to the left there lays a pool hall and lounge den comprised of couches and seating area, pinball and arcade games, and pool tables.
The band took their first set-break around 11pm, and shortly after the downtime they came back on for only a song or two before saying “we’ve got one more for ya’.” The rumor for awhile was that the residents that live upstairs from The Gig were complaining about the noise from either the concert or people outside the bar being loud. That chitchat was quickly squashed when the boys came back on for another round. It still leaves the question of why the band encored after the first set, or what the lurking gossip was really about…No one seemed to mind.
The second set caked on a distinctive rising tone of energy, and in their comfort zone, Soup “Packed a Wallop” for the remainder of the evening. The beautifully harmonized voice of Joni D pierced the hearts of countless groovin’ supporters.
The lounge room and pool hall seemed to disperse the crowd throughout the night keeping everyone occupied and scattered throughout the various bar areas. Along with the excellent drink prices offered by The Gig, the respectable crowd, and the number of different activities occurring during the show the night was deemed a successful turnout.
