With Diligence I Have Been Blessed

We saw Cake play in the QE Theatre in Vancouver (summer 2026). The very day Dolly Parton died.  I had never seen Cake live before and didn’t know their shows were so interactive. They get you singing in all sorts of places then tell you the act of singing triggers your body to release endorphins and dopamine that gives you a bit of a high. “It’s like having the effects of drinking a beer but without having to buy one….” Clever. 

They divide the evening into two sets. And they give away a tree at the beginning of the second set. At the Toronto show it was a pear tree. But think about that: How do you give away a tree in a room filled with a few thousand people. You have to somehow select one person. Cake don’t just make that selection randomly, they do it in an interesting way. The tree itself is not an insubstantial thing either. And to select one person amongst so many in such a setting is what my statistics prof would call a ‘non-trivial task’. 

Cake start by standing next to the tree on stage and asking “Who wants this tree?” Not just a tree, but this one. They begin to explain that there’s a certain expectation of the person who gets the tree. The winner will be asked to take care of it; send a photo of themselves standing next to it planted in the ground somewhere; promise to get it planted within a month or so. It sounds like they’re giving away a pet. 

People in the crowd have their hands up. Some are already standing. Clearly they know how this works. It starts to get interesting as our Front Man teases the crowd while we become more boisterous, building confidence, getting louder. He describes someone he can see whom he may call upon but moves on because they look too energetic. “I’m looking for someone quiet. Someone who is standing still.” Then he says “Now, who can tell me what kind of tree this is?”

“You there” pointing to a guy somewhere in the front a few rows back, “what’s your answer? A Douglas Fir, nope sorry that’s not correct.” We continue as the crowd continues to formulate their answer whether they have their hand up or not – we are all thinking about the answer. The tree looks like something you would find in Vancouver, an evergreen, standing like it came directly from A Charlie Brown Christmas. “I’ll pick a woman next, you ma’am, what is your answer? A Spruce, no that’s not correct either.”  Now we all want to know what it is. Our host toys with us saying it’s getting easier with each wrong answer now that those tree types have been eliminated. Eventually he lands on a woman somewhere in front of him and she’s say it’s a Western Hemlock. That is right.  We cheer. She makes her way to the stage. It’s all very fun. 

On stage he greets her and appears to whisper something in her ear. At the mic he says, ladies and gentlemen meet Jill. 

“Now, before you can have the tree you must answer two additional questions.” This is really a test isn’t it…

Will you plant the tree within a month or so and email a photo to our manager of yourself standing next to it?  Yes?  That’s great, okay [Some other question is asked involving a promise to do something], The right answer is given, and the tree is hers. She walks off stage happily and we all cheer madly. What a great little interstitial. Now, back to some more brilliant music… 

The pearls of wisdom delivered between songs are all quite telling. “I went to a Women’s Basketball game last night. Also known as a basketball game.” And that fabulous sounding thing called a Vibraslap was all over the songs.

The second set was full of energy and familiar songs closing out with an encore that started with their incredible Black Sabbath cover of War Pigs, then the all-time favourite Short Skirt before finishing with The Distance. 

They said they wouldn’t play Jolene on account of Dolly’s death today. But they played Love You Madly after Em asked for it on the drive downtown before the show. 

Over the night they also played some of my personal favourites like Opera Singer, Meanwhile Rick James, and even Owen’s favourite cover – the one that feels like gears grinding and timing all screwed up – Gloria Gaynor’s I WILL SURVIVE. And the song played right before it was Stickshifts and Safetybelts. 

What a fun night.