10/04/99 Halifax, NS, Brave New Waves 10th Anniversary Party, Bonnie Prince Billy solo. Review by Michael McLeod. saturday, april 10, halifax, nova scotia...the bonnie prince's southern stride took to the stage with electric guitar in hand and no backing musicians. black robe and black shoes came to light in waves of red, yellow and blue. no words were uttered, no introduction save for the emcee and free of pick, fingers down-stroked strings as a voice wafted through the smoking air, 'i was drunk at the pulpit, i knew it was wrong so i left in mid sermon tempted by a barhouse song'...jesus i thought, he has gone back to the beginning and this was an indication of the night ahead. preconception and recent set lists read on 'the royal stable' had me expecting a heavy dose of i see a darkness and the recent singles but no, he exhalted the palace discography. not one song received a title, not one a thank you, not one comment came from oldham's mouth, songs drifted into one another, ohio river boat song, o let it be, west palm beach, i send my love to you, i am a cinematographer, arise therefore, riding, new partner, idle hands are the devils playthings...obviously the pattern was to treat the clanking beer bottles and mumbling voices to history and redemption. only three passages from the beautiful darkness of the latest lp took form. will could only let a smile sweep across his face when glass crashed to the floor disturbing the soft silence of his music, roll his eyes to the back of his head and cry,'don't you know that's sinful boy, god is what i make of him.' riding was desolate, dark and god-fearing. the dry and washed-out abstraction of i see a darkness bathed the room in rationality as heavy as gold stars. a mouth twisted in emotion, marked by memories and seized by feverish fire warned of the crossing in o let it be. lonesome language of the sea housed west palm beach and dreaming my dreams offered the warmth of human interaction. throughout the night, the emotion oldham expressed with his archaic language and his ability to play the whole evening with only fingers and nails was stunning. mysteries and music.