Having never seen Shad perform a set, I didn’t know quite what to expect from the 31 year-old Juno Award-winning emcee when he took the stage at Union Sound Hall. I was, on the other hand, familiar with his four LPs – 2007’s The Old Prince is a Canadian hip hop classic – and excited to hear how they’d translate to a live performance.

Presented by Jazz Winnipeg, Shad’s stop in Winnipeg was part of a cross-country tour still underway in support of his new record Flying Colours. Released on October 15, its his most divergent release yet, but not opposite to his style favouring sinuous lyricism, smart rhymes and a range of samples and instrumentation.

Joined by a DJ and a keyboard/bass player, Shad began his set headlong, storming the stage unexpectedly (at least to me) and turning the heads of those beelining for a quick drink or cigarette break. It was an impromptu start uncharacteristic of most other hip hop shows: no excessive warmup hype, no 1:45 am start time. It began as scheduled. Quick, and to the point.

Shad’s entrance – and indeed his patented rhyme delivery – speaks to the man’s entire demeanor. He’s always struck me as an artist who loves to make music, free of pretension, and remains incredibly humbled by the support it has deservedly garnered. In many ways, he approaches fame and success with the reserve of a polite Canadian. He doesn’t lay claim to any special importance, or to hip hop generally, and it shows. When he says “Winnipeg, I love you”, it feels genuine. After all, Winnipeg really loves Shad, too.

Powering through a diverse collection of tracks with some freestyles in between, Shad maintained solid momentum on the way to completing an hour-plus long set. Flying Colours singles “Stylin’” and “Fam Jam (Fe Sum Immigrins)” got some special attention and enthusiastic cheering, but renditions of TSOL’s “Rose Garden” and “Keep Shining” found their place as beloved fan favourites. Whenever I took a moment to look around, I saw countless people embracing in song, grooving and yelling out in unison their favourite verses.

Shad’s voice and the backing tracks were gracefully audible from every corner of the room. On lyric-heavy songs like “I Don’t Really Like To” and “Compromise” off of The Old Prince, I could identify and sing along to each word and hook. While partly to the credit of Union Sound Hall’s high-tech sound system, it was enjoyable to hear live versions sounding just like those on wax.

A most enduring moment, though, came when Shad grabbed an electric guitar and began strumming chords to the beat of “Rock To It”, an early track from his self-produced debut When This Is Over. Different from his newer material, the song has an underground rap aesthetic – a simple drum beat, syncopated guitar notes, three verses and a hook. While simple, it shows progression and versatility, representing the core hip hop roots from which Shad sprouted. And, best of all, it confirms that unassuming, laid-back storytelling is alive and kicking in Canadian rap music.