Great Big Sea plays great big show

As the Canadian folk/rock band Great Big Sea went through their set list Wednesday at The Bluebird Nightclub, audience members shunned the seats that filled the room in lieu of jumping up and down in time to the music.

The 8 p.m. show drew a large number of people for an early-evening performance in the middle of a work week. Dedicated fans of the band showed up in homemade T-shirts and hats to show their support.

Opening for Great Big Sea was Scythian, a Celtic rock group from Washington, D.C. Nathan Cole, a Great Big Sea fan who had driven in from Seymour, Ind., for the performance, said it was the most energetic opening band he had ever seen.

“We really fell in love with the Irish music,” said Josef Crosby, bass guitarist for the band. “We bought a bunch of gear and started playing – Irish festivals, gypsy festivals, hippie jam-band festivals ... and (Great Big Sea) came to us, and they asked if we would support them for four days, and now we get to play two almost sold-out nights at the House of Blues in Chicago.”

After an eclectic opening set that had concertgoers linking arms and dancing to a rock ‘n’ roll mash-up of “Funkytown” and “Havana Gila,” Great Big Sea took the stage with their traditional folk song “Donkey Riding.”

The band played a single set, pausing for breaks to banter with the audience.

“You guys know that bike movie was made here, right?” said Alan Doyle, the lead singer.

As the audience responded with a resounding “Yes,” Alan replied, “Woah, okay. I was trying to be all smart and show that I knew something about Bloomington, but I guess you all already knew that.”

During other songs, the band changed lyrics to include references to famous Bloomington residents such as John Mellencamp and Alfred Kinsey.

Mixing in classic tunes with songs from their new album and even some new ones yet to be recorded, the group ended their set at about 10 p.m. They came back for a single encore before getting back on their tour bus to prepare for a trip to Iowa for a concert the following night.

“The crowd was great,” said Murray Foster, bass player and baritone singer for the band. “We had a lot of fun. It’s been a while since we played a small club ... rather than a theater, so it was a good rock ‘n’ roll experience.”

“This is maybe a career highlight,” he added.

The crowd also seemed to enjoy the performance.

“I’ve seen Great Big Sea a few times now, but I’ve never seen them up close like this,” said Cole. “I was in the front row. It was awesome. I even got a guitar pick they dropped.”

As they left for a four-day tour, which ends with a two-night engagement at the House of Blues in Chicago, the band said they hoped this was the first of many trips to Bloomington.

“We’re always looking for new lands to conquer,” said Bob Hallett, a founding member of the band.